COVID Patients Benefit from Inpatient Rehabilitation

Background: Existing evidence on rehabilitation of CoronaVirus Disease (COVID) patients primarily focuses on system changes, while rehabilitation outcomes have not been reported. The purpose of this study is to describe COVID patients undergoing inpatient rehabilitation and quantify their rehabilitation outcomes to determine if they benefit from inpatient rehabilitation to the same extent as their non-COVID counterparts.  Methods: This is a historical prospective observational study of all inpatients from a free standing, 128-bed rehabilitation hospital between February 29, 2020 and September 30, 2020. Inclusion criteria are: ³18 years of age and admission and discharge within the study time frame. The initial search yielded 920 patients; 896 met the inclusion criteria. Data was derived from the eRehabData database. Patients were stratified by COVID status (+/-) and rehabilitation impairment (Stroke/Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury/Disease, Orthopedic, Medically Complex). Data included age, gender, body mass index (BMI), length of stay (LOS), discharge location, and functional ability measures for self-care and mobility (FA-SC, FA-Mob). Descriptive statistics included age, BMI, gender, LOS, and discharge location. One-sample t-tests were used to assess the difference of age, BMI, LOS, FA-SC, FA-Mob, and FA efficiency between COVID+ and COVID- patients.  Findings: COVID+ patients were younger (59·40 years vs 62·95 years; t(894)= -2·05, p=0·04) with a higher mean BMI (31·66 vs 28·45; t(894)= 3·51, p<0·01) than COVID- patients. COVID(+) patients, regardless of impairment group, had equivalent or superior improvements in FA-SC and FA-Mob, functional change efficiency, and LOS than COVID- patients. Specifically, comparing Medically Complex patients, those with COVID had greater FA-SC and FA-Mob efficiencies than COVID- patients. COVID+ patients had similar rates of return to the community.  Interpretation: Patients with COVID who meet the admission criteria for inpatient rehabilitation can benefit from inpatient rehabilitation similarly to their non-COVID counterparts with similar rehabilitation-specific diagnoses. Funding This study did not utilize any funding source. Funding Statement: This study did not utilize any funding source. Declaration of Interests: Cynthia T. Pham has nothing to disclose. Dr. Rounds has nothing to disclose. Suzanne Groah reports grants from NIDILRR, grants from CDMRP, grants from Craig H Neilsen Foundation, all outside the submitted work. Dr. Semel has nothing to disclose. Ethics Approval Statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the MedStar Health Institutional Review Board (Approval ID: 00003031).