Early Occupational Therapy in Mechanical Ventilated Patients With Covid-19

Early Occupational Therapy in Mechanical Ventilated Patients With Covid-19: Multicentre Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial

This study evaluates the feasibility of an early occupational therapy (OT) protocol in critical adult patients requiring mechanical ventilation with Covid-19.

A randomized clinical trial with an experimental-control will be implemented, considering the prospective multicenter group, with parallel groups, in a 1:1 ratio, in 3 Chilean hospitals.

A control group will has a standard analgesia, sedation, delirium and mobilization (ASDM) measures or an intervention group will have early OT plus ASDM.

The intervention group will receive 20 OT sessions, which considers a predefined protocol of actions according to the patient's condition

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age equal to or greater than 18 years.
• Need for hospitalization in ICU.
• At least 12 h of invasive mechanical ventilation
• Informed consent signed by legal representative and / or patient.
• Positive covid-19 diagnosis

Exclusion Criteria:

• Known cognitive impairment before admission with short IQCODE (Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly) Scores> 3.3 were excluded.
• Previous functional impairment, FAQ (Functional Activities Questionnaire) defined as > 6 points.
• Severe communication disorder and cultural limitation of language (language different from Spanish)
• Patient with limited therapeutic proportionality.
• Neurocritical patients (moderate-severe Traumatic Brain Injury / stroke of some kind / among others)
• Spinal injury or unstable fractures that limit mobilization