Functional Capacity and Self-Care in Post-COVID-19 Patients in a Recovery Program

Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 manifests with acute symptoms. After coronavirus infection, they may persist or new ones may emerge, compromising functional capacity and self-care. This condition has been named “acute post-COVID-19 syndrome”. Objective: To evaluate functional capacity and self-care in post-COVID-19 patients. Materials and methods: This is a descriptive and exploratory study, which evaluated 53 medical records of patients receiving care in a Functional Recovery Program for acute post-COVID-19 syndrome, conducted at a public university, from August 2022 to August 2023. A descriptive and association analysis was performed using Pearson’s Chi-squared or Fisher’s exact nonparametric tests, with a significance level of 5 % (p < 0.05). Results: Most participants were female, aged over 50 and receiving home care during the infection. Associations were found between the length of hospitalization (p = 0.03), having a history of surgery (p = 0.01), and a medium self-care capacity (p = 0.04) with the functional capacity to perform instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). Conclusion: Post-COVID-19 syndrome is associated with medium self-care capacity and partial dependence in terms of IADLs. The finding contributes to the development of health education and care strategies aimed at providing recovery.