People admitted to inpatient rehabilitation after hospitalization with COVID-19 showed deficits in mobility, cognition, speech, and swallowing at admission and improved significantly in all of these capabilities by the time they were discharged. However, a considerable number of patients exhibited residual deficits at discharge, highlighting the post-acute care needs of these patients.
These are the findings of a retrospective study conducted by a team based at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and the Harvard Medical School Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, published March 31 in PLOS One. The study is believed to be the first to quantitatively characterize the functional and cognitive deficits that survivors of COVID-19 exhibit during inpatient rehabilitation.