The Effort, Dyspnea, and Cooperation Scores in Mild and Moderate Post-COVID-19 Patients: Results of a Retrospective Study

Abstract

Highlights: What are the main findings? Post-COVID-19 patients with mild and moderate forms of the disease showed significant improvements in cooperation, effort, and dyspnea scores following a structured rehabilitation program. Improvements were observed across all demographic subgroups (by gender and age), although some variation in magnitude was noted. What is the implication of the main finding? These results highlight the effectiveness of personalized rehabilitation in enhancing not only physical capacity but also patient engagement and respiratory comfort during post-COVID-19 recovery. The identified correlations and demographic patterns may guide targeted interventions and resource allocation, supporting more individualized and symptom-oriented rehabilitation strategies. COVID-19 signs and symptoms varied among patients, with the most common being fever, fatigue, sore throat, cough, anorexia, and shortness of breath. (1) Background: This study aimed to assess effort, dyspnea, and cooperation scores in patients with mild and moderate post-COVID-19 forms, both at baseline and after completing a structured physical recovery program. (2) Methods: Our study included 160 post-COVID-19 patients who had experienced mild or moderate disease. (3) Results: Effort and dyspnea scores were significantly lower (p < 0.01), while cooperation scores were significantly higher after the rehabilitation program. Both men and women demonstrated significant increases in cooperation scores after recovery. Additionally, both groups showed statistically significant reductions in effort and dyspnea scores (p < 0.001). Among patients aged under and over 60 years, effort and dyspnea scores decreased after rehabilitation, and cooperation scores increased significantly (p < 0.001). No statistically significant differences were observed between genders in any of the three scores. Similarly, no significant differences by age were found in cooperation or dyspnea scores. A significant negative correlation was observed between cooperation and effort scores: patients with higher cooperation scores tended to report lower effort scores, and vice versa (p < 0.001, R = −0.571). (4) Conclusions: The improved cooperation demonstrated by patients during the physical recovery program was significantly associated with reductions in perceived effort and dyspnea, indicating a positive impact on post-COVID-19 rehabilitation outcomes.