Table 2.
Summary of the findings in relation to breathing exercises via telerehabilitation.
| Breathing exercises compared with no intervention for COVID-19 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patient or population: COVID-19 | Setting: home-based | Intervention: breathing exercises | Comparison: no intervention | ||||||
| Outcomes | Anticipated absolute effectsa (95% CI) |
Relative effect (95% CI) | Number of participants (studies) | Certainty of the evidence (GRADE) | Comments | |
| Risk with no intervention | Risk with breathing exercises | |||||
| Functional capacity at 2 wks: 6-minute walk test | The mean change in functional capacity at 2 wks ranged from –3.23 to 6 m | MD 101 m higher (61 higher to 141 higher) | – | 89 (2) | ⊕⊕○○ Lowb,c |
Breathing exercises may slightly increase functional capacity at 2 wks. |
| Performance at 2 wks: 30-second sit-to-stand | The mean change in performance at 2 wks ranged from –0.59 to –0.31 repetitions | MD 2.2 repetitions higher (1.5 higher to 2.8 higher) | – | 89 (2) | ⊕⊕○○ Lowb,c |
Breathing exercises may slightly increase performance at 2 wks. |
| Dyspnoea at 2 wks: Multidimensional Dyspnoea-12 | The mean change in dyspnoea at 2 wks ranged from 0.05 to 0.32 | MD 6 lower (7 lower to 5 lower) | – | 89 (2) | ⊕⊕○○ Lowb,c |
Breathing exercises may slightly reduce dyspnoea at 2 wks. |
| Perceived effort at 2 wks: Borg scale | The mean change in perceived effort at 2 wks ranged from –0.32 to 0.14 | MD 2.8 lower (3.3 lower to 2.3 lower) | – | 89 (2) | ⊕⊕○○ Lowb,c |
Breathing exercises may result in a slight reduction in perceived effort at 2 wks. |
| GRADE Working Group grades of evidence: High certainty: we are very confident that the true effect lies close to that of the estimate of the effect; Moderate certainty: we are moderately confident in the effect estimate: the true effect is likely to be close to the estimate of the effect, but there is a possibility that it is substantially different; Low certainty: our confidence in the effect estimate is limited: the true effect may be substantially different from the estimate of the effect; Very low certainty: we have very little confidence in the effect estimate: the true effect is likely to be substantially different from the estimate of effect. | ||||||
a
The risk in the intervention group (and its 95% CI) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI).
b
Downgraded one level due to serious risk of bias (some concerns due to deviations from intended interventions and selection of the reported result).
c
Downgraded one level due to serious imprecision (few participants and studies).