Invited Topical Review
Physiotherapy management for COVID-19 in the acute hospital setting: clinical practice recommendations

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphys.2020.03.011Get rights and content
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Abstract

This document outlines recommendations for physiotherapy management for COVID-19 in the acute hospital setting. It includes: recommendations for physiotherapy workforce planning and preparation; a screening tool for determining requirement for physiotherapy; and recommendations for the selection of physiotherapy treatments and personal protective equipment. It is intended for use by physiotherapists and other relevant stakeholders in the acute care setting caring for adult patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19.

Key words

Physical therapy
Coronavirus
COVID-19

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Footnotes: a An international team of expert researchers and clinicians within the intensive care and acute cardiorespiratory fields have developed these recommendations. The recommendations are intended for use in adults only. This document has been constructed using existing medical guidelines, relevant literature and expert opinion. The authors have made considerable effort to ensure that the information contained with the recommendation is accurate at time of publication. Further iterations of these recommendations will be published as new information arises. The information provided in this document is not designed to replace local institutional policies and should not replace clinical reasoning for individual patient management. The authors are not liable for the accuracy, information that may be perceived as misleading, or completeness of information in this document. The author group will review and update this guidance within 6 months, or if important new evidence emerges that changes the recommendations herein.

b These recommendations have been endorsed by: Australian Physiotherapy Association, Canadian Physiotherapy Association, Association of Chartered Society of Physiotherapists in Respiratory Care UK, Associazione Riabilitatori dell' Insufficienza Respiratoria, Koninklijk Nederlands Genootschap voor Fysiotherapie, International Confederation of Cardiorespiratory Physical Therapists, World Confederation for Physical Therapy, AXXON Physical Therapy in Belgium, and Société de Kinésithérapie de Réanimation.

eAddenda: Appendices 1 and 2 can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphys.2020.03.011.

Ethics approval: Not applicable.

Competing interest: All authors completed a World Health Organization conflict of interest form. Direct financial and industry-related conflicts of interest were not permitted and were considered to be disqualifying. The development of these recommendations did not include any industry input, funding, or financial or non-financial contribution. No author received honoraria or remuneration for any role in the development process. We explicitly discussed conflicts of interest, including those who held grants related to intensive care unit rehabilitation (CH, MK, SMP) or received industry funding for high-flow nasal cannula research (IB); because none of these projects specifically involved COVID-19, the group agreed that there were no relevant conflicts of interest.

Sources of support: Nil.