Not enough knowledge yet
‘There is still insufficient knowledge about the recovery of patients who have undergone a corona infection. But also about which patients would benefit most from rehabilitation and what such a rehabilitation process would ideally look like ‘, says senior researcher Miriam Haaksma.
Collecting data
That is why Professor of Geriatric Medicine at the LUMC Wilco Achterberg has taken it upon himself to set up this study. ‘It is a unique study because it is the first into geriatric rehabilitation, rehabilitation of the elderly, at a European level,’ says Achterberg. For this so-called EU-COGER study, use is made of data from European countries that are collected as standard during the rehabilitation process. Achterberg: ‘Think of the medical history, symptoms, duration of hospitalization and the patient’s daily functioning at the time of admission and after discharge.’
Deployment of rehabilitation care
The majority of COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital are over 70 years old. Some of them have been on artificial respiration in intensive care. This often means that they have spent several weeks in bed, which has reduced their muscle mass and lung function. If patients are limited in their daily functioning by these consequences, this can be a reason for using geriatric rehabilitation care.
Rehabilitation different in every country
Haaksma: ‘It is a challenge to research this form of care because rehabilitation is different in each country. In the Netherlands, geriatric rehabilitation mainly takes place in nursing and care homes. But in Germany this is done in special rehabilitation clinics, for example, while patients in Russia mostly rehabilitate at home.
Attendees
To date, more than 20 geriatric rehabilitation providers have signed up to contribute to the study. Over the next year, data from around 50 patients will be collected through rehabilitation providers in each participating country. Achterberg: ‘By gaining more insight into the effectiveness of rehabilitation, care will only improve. We expect the first results of the study by the end of 2021. ‘
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