Home-Based Exercise Tele-Rehabilitation in High-Risk Veterans: Impact of COVID-19 Exposure and Socioeconomic Factors

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The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is widespread throughout the world despite multiple strategic efforts and precautions to impede its transmission. Comorbid conditions, especially hypertension, diabetes and chronic lung and cardiac disease are risk factors for hospitalization and death. Veterans have a high prevalence of these conditions and are at increased risk for complications and poor recovery. The development and successful implementation of rehabilitative strategies for Veterans during and post COVID-19 should be a high clinical research priority. The long-term impact of COVID-19 on cardiopulmonary and physical function is uncertain; and further, rehabilitation strategies to target impairments must be feasible within constraints of social distancing. Pertinent knowledge gaps regarding the post-recovery physiologic trajectory in patients with pulmonary and cardiometabolic conditions also need to be addressed to tailor effective exercise rehabilitation strategies. The objective of this exercise trial is to investigate the effect of a home-based exercise tele-rehabilitation on these outcomes and to evaluate five individual World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) components identified for research in COVID-19 survivors. Our central hypothesis is that home-based exercise with a group component (COVID Tele-EX) improves cardiopulmonary and physical function in Veterans post COVID-19. The study design includes an investigative team who have a track record of VA rehabilitation collaboration and will allow the exploration of healthcare disparities related to COVID-19, which are associated with functional decline and may affect sustainability of exercise rehabilitation strategies deployed under social distancing restrictions. Veterans from the Baltimore VAMC and surrounding Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) will participate from home in the 12-week exercise intervention which will consist of virtual group exercise classes in VA Video Connect (VVC). Procedures before and after the intervention will include cardiopulmonary exercise test, pulmonary function test, physical function, and questionnaires targeted at exercise self-efficacy. Our study of cardiopulmonary and physical function in Veterans recovered from COVID-19 will provide critical and novel information on “Long COVID” or Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-Co-V-2 infection. Findings from this trial will provide evidence to implement this tele-home group exercise program across VA centers that can extend beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and has vital implications for improving and creating a new standard of rehabilitative care for Veterans.