ROLE OF PHYSIOTHERAPY ON COVID HOSPITAL ACQUIRED ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION IN COVID-19 PATIENTS.

Background & Purpose: COVID-19 patients admitted to COVID HOSPITAL often suffer from anxiety and depression due to the stressful environment in the COVID HOSPITAL. Anxiety and depression have a negative impact on the immunity and recovery of these patients. Physiotherapy can aid in alleviating the symptoms of anxiety and depression in these patients. Methods:41 admitted COVID-19 symptomatic patients were recruited for the study. The patients were randomly divided into two groups Group A (Experimental) n=21, and Group B (Control) n=20 by simple randomization. Group A was prescribed deep breathing exercises, psychological support by verbal communication, and mild aerobic activities for a duration of 6 days along with routine COVID-19 medical care. Group B was given only routine COVID-19 medical care. The patients were assessed pretest and posttest by Hospital Anxiety and Depression score (HADS). Results: All the data were expressed in Mean +/-SD. Paired t-test conducted to find the statistical significance of pre-test and post-test results within the groups and an unpaired t-test was conducted to find the statistical significance between the groups. Group A showed a reduction of 52.58% in depression scores and 60.72% in anxiety scores whereas Group B showed a reduction of 29.09% in depression and 30.15 % in anxiety scores. The results showed that Physiotherapy has a significant role in reducing hospital-acquired Anxiety and Depression in COVID-19 patients. The results were statistically significant at p < 0.05. Conclusion: Adequate medical care and physiotherapy can alleviate the hospital-acquired anxiety and depression in these cases