Physician’s attitudes on pulmonary rehabilitation following COVID-19: a brief perspective from a developing country

Despite the uncertainty about the follow up of COVID-19 survivors, there is a growing body of evidence supporting specific interventions including pulmonary rehabilitation, which may lead to a reduced hospital stay and improved overall respiratory function. The aim of this short report was to assess the attitudes toward pulmonary rehabilitation following COVID-19 among Ecuadorian physicians. A cross-sectional study was conducted, in which a 5-question survey was used to assess the level of agreement to specific statements with a 5-point Likert scale. Out of the 282 participants, 48.2% (n=136) were male, with a mean of 12.6 (SD=11.3) years of experience. More than half of physicians (63.8%, n=180; χ²(2) = 139.224, p=0.000) considered that diagnosis and treatment of patients with sub-acute and chronic COVID-19 pulmonary sequelae is not clear. Additionally, 94.3% (n=266; χ²(2) = 497.331, p=0.000) agreed that pulmonary rehabilitation must be considered as a relevant strategy in long-term care following an acute infection, with 92.6% (n=261; χ²(2) = 449.772, p=0.000) stating it will improve the likelihood of survival and return to baseline health. In conclusion, we found that considerable majority of physicians held positive attitudes to the role of pulmonary rehabilitation and considered it as a relevant strategy in long-term care following COVID-19. However, most of them also conveyed that the diagnosis and treatment of chronic pulmonary sequalae is unclear, and that guidelines for assessing pulmonary function should be established.