The COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on the lives of people throughout the world and the profession of healthcare has been on the front lines since day one. This presentation looks specifically at how the field of rehabilitation has been responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. This presentation will explain the research and planning that went into developing a COVID-19-specific unit in a rehabilitation hospital including the remodeling of the actual facilities to the specialized training of the staff. Starting at the beginning, an overview of the SARS-Coronavirus-2 is covered including the pathophysiology, epidemiology, symptoms, complications, and diagnosis. From there, the treatment of the patient who is positive for COVID-19 is addressed concentrating specifically on the aspects of rehabilitating the patient with COVID-19. From there, we take a step back to discuss what we've learned so far in the world of rehabilitation in the course of treating patients with COVID-19. One final topic of discussion is specific to the field of workers compensation: The implications of early rehabilitation on Return to Work. The use of the biopsychosocial model is examined in order to treat the impairments that can affect the patient physically, cognitively and psychologically. A case study involving a healthcare worker is utilized in order to illustrate rehabilitation process and its effects on improving the quality of life for individuals diagnosed with COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE:

1. Discover how rehabilitation centers prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic.
2. Describe the common impairments and functional needs of the COVID-19 patient.
3. Analyze the implications of early rehab interventions on return to work and continued utilization of interventions.