Strategies for managing COVID-19 patients with PICS
Effective and efficient rehabilitation care is needed to manage COVID-19
survivors with PICS. We propose strategies, based on available evidence,
which could be adopted by critical care clinicians in the rehabilitation
care of COVID-19 patients with PICS. These considerations stem from data
from developed countries and indirect evidence from knowledge of
critical care rehabilitation; and we suggest they are adapted to suit
the peculiarity of the African healthcare system. These considerations
are not mutually exclusive, and its practice is iterative [i.e. a lot
of clinical discussion with the multidisciplinary members] across the
continuum of care.
Rehabilitation care for COVID-19 patients with PICS admitted in the ICU
should include early ICU rehabilitation upon admission, screening on
discharge, and discharging into a post rehabilitation program such as
primary healthcare centers or rehabilitation homes. Patient/family
education, efficient and effective communication between healthcare
workers - discharger and the receiver, patients/family should be a
continuous process throughout the continuum of care (See Figure 1).