Physical activity, psychosocial status, and sleep quality in COVID-19 survivors following telerehabilitation: A prospective intervention and follow-up study

Purpose: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has a negative impact on physical activity, anxiety, depression, sleep, and overall quality of life (QoL). Tele-rehabilitation offers an alternative when rehabilitation is not possible. The study was aimed to explore the impact of telerehabilitation on the physical activity, psychosocial status, sleep quality, QoL, and daily activities of living (ADLs) of COVID-19 survivors.Methods: During the pandemic, twenty individuals who were hospitalized due to COVID-19 and subsequently discharged participated in a 12-week telerehabilitation program that included an exercise brochure and telephone calls. The data were collected using Google Forms at discharge and at the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th months after discharge. The International PA Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to assess physical activity, while the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to determine psychosocial status. For sleep quality assessment, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used. The Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) was used to assess QoL and the Barthel Index (BI) for ADLs.Results: There was a significant increase in IPAQ total score after telerehabilitation [discharge vs. 3rd month (p=0.006)], with the similarity in IPAQ total score at 3rd vs. 6th months (p>0.007). The HADS anxiety score decreased significantly over its time course compared with the discharge (p