CDC: Outcomes Among Patients Referred to Outpatient Rehabilitation Clinics After COVID-19 diagnosis — US, Jan 2020–Mar 2021, 2021, Rogers-Brown et al

Summary
What is already known about this topic?

COVID-19 patients might experience symptoms that persist months after initial infection.

What is added by this report?

Compared with control patients enrolled in a cancer rehabilitation program, adult post–COVID-19 patients referred for rehabilitation services reported poorer physical health and being less able to engage in physical activities and activities of daily living. Patients recovering from COVID-19 also had significantly higher health care use than control patients.

What are the implications for public health practice?

Patients recovering from COVID-19 might require tailored physical and mental health rehabilitation services.


As of June 30, 2021, 33.5 million persons in the United States had received a diagnosis of COVID-19 (1). Although most patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, recover within a few weeks, some experience post–COVID-19 conditions. These range from new or returning to ongoing health problems that can continue beyond 4 weeks. Persons who were asymptomatic at the time of infection can also experience post–COVID-19 conditions. Data on post–COVID-19 conditions are emerging and information on rehabilitation needs among persons recovering from COVID-19 is limited.

Using data acquired during January 2020–March 2021 from Select Medical* outpatient rehabilitation clinics, CDC compared patient-reported measures of health, physical endurance, and health care use between patients who had recovered from COVID-19 (post–COVID-19 patients) and patients needing rehabilitation because of a current or previous diagnosis of a neoplasm (cancer) who had not experienced COVID-19 (control patients).

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7027a2.htm?s_cid=mm7027a2_w

 

What on earth, control group is a cancer rehab program?