The Efficacy of the Cognitive Exercise Therapy Approach by Telerehabilitation in People Living with HIV: Preliminary Results.

Objective: The Cognitive Exercise Therapy Approach, referred to as BETY, is a biopsychosocial model that has demonstrated effectiveness in improving the quality of life among various patient populations with chronic diseases. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of BETY combined with telerehabilitation for people living with HIV (PLWH).

Materials and methods: Fifty PLWH who were virologically suppressed receiving follow-up and treatment at Şanlıurfa Training and Research Hospital were included in this study. Patients were divided into the telerehabilitation group (TG) and the control group (CG). In addition to routine treatments, the TG underwent group rehabilitation exercises via Zoom application for 60 minutes three times a week for 12 weeks (a total of 36 sessions) under the supervision of a physiotherapist, following the principles of BETY. The CG received no intervention and continued with routine medication treatments. Before and after the exercise therapy, the BETY Scale (BETY-BQ), Short Form-36 (SF-36), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Clinical Frailty Scale, and Frail Scale were administered to both the TG and the CG. The responses to the scales were compared between the two groups after the 12-week period.

Results: The preliminary results included data from 10 patients in the TG and 15 patients in the CG who completed the 12-week treatment. In the TG, significant differences were observed in the SF-36 pain subscale and the BETY total score, while in the CG, significant differences were found in the SF-36 emotional role functioning and vitality subscales (p<0.05). In the TG, negative values were observed in all BETY-BQ subscales, indicating improvement in all parameters. Additionally, the mean value of the SF-36 pain subscale increased from 79 before treatment to 91.5 after treatment.

Conclusion: Our preliminary results indicate that the BETY method applied by telerehabilitation may be effective in reducing pain and improving biopsychosocial conditions in PLWH. Telerehabilitation with cognitive exercise therapy can provide an alternative treatment option by complementing routine therapies and offering the opportunity to participate anonymously in group therapies in PLWH.