Reporting of pre-existing multiple long-term conditions in physical rehabilitation for long COVID: a scoping review.

Abstract

Background: Physical rehabilitation may improve health and wellbeing outcomes for some adults living with long COVID. However, individuals living with pre-existing multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs) and long COVID may have additional rehabilitation challenges. This scoping review aims to identify the available evidence describing physical rehabilitation interventions for adults living with long COVID, to systematically map the reporting of pre-existing MLTCs, and to describe the characteristics of physical rehabilitation interventions used in adults with both pre-existing long-term conditions (LTCs) and long COVID.

Methods: MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, APA PsycInfo, medRxiv, OpenGrey and MedNar were searched from January 2020 to July 2023. Eligibility criteria included adults with long COVID, rehabilitation interventions including a physical component in any setting and any study design investigating interventions or intervention content except case series/reports.

Results: Of 5326 unique records, 50 articles met the inclusion criteria, of which 25 (50%) made reference to pre-existing LTCs. These articles included four protocols and one consensus statement. Four of the remaining 20 studies (20%) reported the number of pre-existing LTCs, enabling the differentiation of individuals with MLTCs. One study reported outcomes of individuals with MLTCs separately to those without. The interventions described (k=24) typically consisted of combined aerobic and strength exercises (k=17 (71%)) in an outpatient setting (k=13 (54%)).

Conclusions: There is limited and inconsistent reporting of the presence of MLTCs in studies of physical rehabilitation for adults with long COVID. Clarity and consistency of reporting of MLTCs is required to enable evaluation and adaptation of interventions to improve health and wellbeing for this population.