In their article, Schindler et al. (1) report on the early pulmonary rehabilitation of patients with COVID-19. We welcome their success in establishing early pulmonary rehabilitation in this patient population. We believe the following points to be of additional relevance.
In addition to the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the intensive medical treatment of COVID-19 is often characterized by multiple complications. Those issues call for a multi-disciplinary approach in early rehabilitation.
Early rehabilitation takes place in the acute setting and is therefore substantially different from follow-up rehabilitation. A few medical centers in Germany provide acute rehabilitation in maximal care hospitals. Experiences in this area have influenced the recommendation and guideline development regarding COVID-19 (2, 3).
Furthermore, relevant concepts exist for the acute rehabilitation and cross-disciplinary rehabilitation of patients with COVID-19 (3, 4).
For Germany, the lessons from the pandemic should include a structural build-up in acute rehabilitation facilities in maximal care hospitals. This would lead to better care of patients with severe disease courses and improved outcomes regarding functional ability and participation.
Footnotes
Conflict of interest statement
Dr Beyer received support for travel expenses from the professional association for physical and rehabilitative medicine (Berufsverband der Ärzte für Physikalische und Rehabilitative Medizin e. V. (PRM)).
The remaining authors declare that no conflict of interest exists.
References
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