Comparison of Pulmonary Telerehabilitation and Physical Activity Recommendations in Patients With Post Covid Fibrosis

September 29, 2026 updated by: Ozge Ertan, Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Pulmonary Telerehabilitation and Physical Activity Recommendations in Patients With Pulmonary Fibrosis Due to COVID-19

Rehabilitation plays a very important role in the management of patients with COVID-19, focusing on respiratory and motor functions, and therefore the importance of establishing treatment strategies to ensure optimal recovery of these patients has been emphasized. It has been stated that physical activity recommendations should be clarified for the management of symptoms associated with prolonged COVID-19 Syndrome and for the continuation of activities of daily living. It has been stated that after COVID-19 pneumonia, it is necessary to evaluate the physical functions of patients with long-term follow-up and to establish rehabilitation programs. The importance of being included in the rehabilitation program was emphasized, especially for patients with lung fibrosis.

The primary aim of this study was to compare the effects of pulmonary telerehabilitation and physical activity recommendations on exercise capacity and peripheral muscle strength in patients with pulmonary fibrosis due to COVID-19.

The secondary aim of this study is to compare the effects of pulmonary telerehabilitation and physical activity recommendations on symptoms, activity and participation in patients with pulmonary fibrosis due to COVID-19.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
30

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • >18 years old
  • Patients who have been infected with the COVID-19 virus at least 12 months ago and have been diagnosed with a positive PCR
  • Patients with post-COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis followed by a pulmonologist
  • Patients who have sufficient technological infrastructure to participate in the telerehabilitation program and can adapt to online systems
  • Patients who are clinically stable

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with orthopedic/neurological problems that prevent walking and exercise
  • Patients with uncontrolled cardiovascular disease
  • Patients with uncontrolled medical conditions

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Pulmonary Rehabilitation Group

A total of 24 sessions of breathing exercises and high-repetitive muscle endurance and strengthening exercises will be applied to the pulmonary telerehabilitation group for 8 weeks, two days a week and one day a week unsupervised, via online systems. High-repetition muscle endurance and strengthening exercises will be applied to large muscle groups of the lower and upper extremities by creating resistance with body weight and theraband.
Other: Exercise

High repetition muscle endurance and strengthening exercises Walking
Active Comparator: Physical Activity Group

Respiratory exercises and physical activity recommendations will be given to the physical activity group. Physical activity recommendations are; It will include information about the importance of physical activity and walking 3-5 days a week for at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity (4-6 on the Modified Borg scale of perceived exertion level).
Other: Exercise

High repetition muscle endurance and strengthening exercises Walking

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Submaximal exercise capacity
Time Frame: 1 week-8 week

Six minute walk test and
1 week-8 week
maximal exercise capacity
Time Frame: 1 week-8 week

Incremental shuttle walk test
1 week-8 week
endurance exercise capacity
Time Frame: 1 week-8 week

endurance shuttle walk test
1 week-8 week
Peripheral muscle strength
Time Frame: 1 week-8 week

Hand-held dynamometer
1 week-8 week
Functional exercise capacity
Time Frame: 1 week-8 week

1 min sit to stand test
1 week-8 week

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Physical activity
Time Frame: 1 week-8 week also Participants will monitor their weekly step counts during the study

Pedometer
1 week-8 week also Participants will monitor their weekly step counts during the study
Physical activity
Time Frame: 1 week-8 week

Physical activity will be assessed using a SenseWear Armband (BodyMedia Inc., Pittsburgh, PA, USA), worn for at least 72 hours.
1 week-8 week
Dyspnea
Time Frame: 1 week-8 week

Modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale stratifies severity of dyspnea in respiratory diseases. The mMRC scale is a self-rating tool to measure the degree of disability that breathlessness poses on day-to-day activities on a scale from 0 to 4: 0, no breathlessness except on strenuous exercise; 1, shortness of breath when hurrying on the level or walking up a slight hill; 2, walks slower than people of same age on the level because of breathlessness or has to stop to catch breath when walking at their own pace on the level; 3, stops for breath after walking ∼100 m or after few minutes on the level; and 4, too breathless to leave the house, or breathless when dressing or undressing
1 week-8 week
Fatigue
Time Frame: 1 week-8 week

The Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) is a method of evaluating the impact of fatigue on patients. The FSS is a short questionnaire that requires to rate your level of fatigue. The FSS questionnaire contains nine statements that rate the severity of fatigue symptoms. Patients read each statement and circle a number from 1 to 7, based on how accurately it reflects their condition during the past week and how much they agree or disagree that the statement applies to patients. A low value (e.g., 1) indicates strong disagreement with the statement, whereas a high value (e.g., 7) indicates strong agreement. Total score between 9-63. A total score of less than 36 suggests that you may not be suffering from fatigue.
1 week-8 week
Functionality
Time Frame: 1 week-8 week

Post covid-19 functionality scale (PCFS): The PCFS scale stratifies functional status limitation as follows: grade 0 (No functional limitations), grade 1 (Negligible functional limitations), grade 2 (Slight functional limitations), grade 3 (Moderate functional limitations), grade 4 (Severe functional limitations), and grade 5 (death)
1 week-8 week
Emotional status
Time Frame: 1 week-8 week

Hospital anxiety and depression scale is a self-report rating scale of 14 items on a 4-point Likert scale (range 0-3). It is designed to measure anxiety and depression (7 items for each subscale). The total score is the sum of the 14 items, and for each subscale the score is the sum of the respective seven items (ranging from 0-21).
1 week-8 week
Body composition
Time Frame: 1 week-8 week

Bioelectrical impedence analysis
1 week-8 week
Activities of daily living
Time Frame: 1 week-8 week

London chest activity of daily living scale: Perceived dyspnea while performing daily living activities is scored between 0-5. A high score indicates greater disability in performing ADLs. The minimum score 0 and maximum total score is 75.
1 week-8 week

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pulmonary Telerehabilitation Feasibility
Time Frame: 8 week

Changes in clinical status will be assessed using the 'Global Change Scale' in order to determine the programme's effect on clinical status.
8 week
Pulmonary Telerehabilitation Feasibility
Time Frame: 8 week

Adherence and drop-out rate
8 week
Pulmonary Telerehabilitation Feasibility
Time Frame: 8 week

System usability: The usability of the telerehabilitation system was assessed using the "System Usability Scale (SUS)".
8 week
Pulmonary Telerehabilitation Feasibility
Time Frame: 8 week

Safety
8 week

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Health Institutes of Turkey

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 4, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
March 7, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
March 7, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 25, 2022

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 28, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 29, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
October 5, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 29, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2022/25

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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