FEASIBILITY STUDY ON SWALLOWING TELEREHABILITATION IN PATIENTS WITH CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019

OBJECTIVE: Direct swallowing rehabilitation assessment in patients with highly infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, is not recommended. We aimed to explore the feasibility of using telerehabilitation for managing dysphagia in patients with COVID-19 in isolated hospital rooms. DESIGN: Open-label trial. SUBJECTS/PATIENTS: We examined 7 enrolled patients with COVID-19 who presented with dysphagia and were treated with telerehabilitation. METHODS: Telerehabilitation was performed for 20 min daily and included indirect and direct swallowing training. Dysphagia was assessed before and after telerehabilitation using the 10-item Eating Assessment Tool, the Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability and graphical evaluation using tablet device cameras. RESULTS: All patients showed significant improvement in swallowing ability, evaluated by the range of the upward movement of their larynxes and the Eating Assessment Tool and Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability scores. The change in swallowing evaluation scores was correlated with the number of telerehabilitation sessions. There was no infection spread to the medical staff treating these patients. Dysphagia in patients with COVID-19 was improved using telerehabilitation while ensuring a high degree of safety for clinicians. CONCLUSION: Telerehabilitation might eliminate the risks associated with patient contact and has the advantage of infection control. Its feasibility needs further exploration. LAY ABSTRACT We explored the feasibility of using telerehabilitation for managing dysphagia in patients with COVID-19 in isolated hospital rooms. We enrolled 7 patients with dysphagia. Telerehabilitation was performed for 20 min per day and included indirect and direct swallowing training. All patients showed significant improvement in their swallowing ability, evaluated by the range of the upward movement of their larynxes and the Eating Assessment Tool and Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability scores. The change in swallowing evaluation scores was correlated with the number of telerehabilitation sessions. There was no spread of infection to the medical staff who treated these patients. Dysphagia in patients with COVID-19 was improved using telerehabilitation while ensuring a high degree of safety for clinicians. Telerehabilitation might eliminate the risks associated with patient contact and has the advantage of infection control. Its feasibility should be explored further.