Effectiveness of a 12-week Telerehabilitation Training in People With Long COVID: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Phase: NA
Conditions: COVID-19
Sponsor: Tri-Service General Hospital

Official title: Effectiveness of a 12-week 
Telerehabilitation Training in People with 
Long COVID: A Randomized Controlled Trial 
NCT number: NCT05205460 
document date: 2023.11.25 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Study Protocol with SAP 
 
Background: Long COVID, characterized by persistent symptoms beyond the acute 
phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection, has been associated with impairments in 
cardiopulmonary function, physical activity levels, and overall quality of life. 
Telerehabilitation has emerged as a feasible and effective intervention for individuals 
with limited access to in-person rehabilitation services. 
 
Objective(s): To investigate the effectiveness of a 12-week telerehabilitation training 
program, the primary outcome is cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), with secondary 
outcomes including physical activity (PA) amounts, exercise self-efficacy, sleep 
quality, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in participants with long COVID. 
 
Design: A parallel-group randomized controlled trial 
 
Methods: A parallel-group randomized controlled trial was conducted. Eligible 
participants with long COVID (n = 182) were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to 
either the experimental group (EG) or control group (CG). The EG received 12-week 
telerehabilitation training with weekly remote monitoring for the maintenance of 
exercise and support. The CG received physical activity (PA) counseling only.  
 
Outcome measures:  
primary Outcome: cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF)  
secondary Outcomes: exercise self-efficacy, sleep quality, and health-related quality 
of life (HRQOL) 
 
Statistical analysis plan: Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 16.0 
software. Descriptive statistics included means with standard deviations for 
continuous variables and numbers with percentages (%) for categorical variables. 
Missing data were handled using the last-observation-carried-forward method for 
intent-to-treat analysis. Paired t-tests were used to compare pre- and post-tests, 
whereas Student’s t-tests and chi-squared tests examined pre- and post-intervention 
differences between groups. Generalized estimating equations (GEEs) were used to 
analyze longitudinal data, considering within-participant correlation. All analyses 
were two-tailed, with p < 0.05 indicating statistical significance.