Participants
lung cancer, pneumonia, heart disease, cognitive impairment
PNEUMONIA, HEART DISEASE, POLAND, COVID-19 INFECTION, LUNG CANCER, INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES MELLITUS
The study was conducted among patients with PASC who participated in inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation at the Specialist Hospital in Glucholazy (Poland). These preliminary results included 32 randomly selected patients aged 41–67 years old who met the inclusion criteria and gave written consent to participate in the study. The patients were randomized to two groups: experimental (VR group) which participated in the pulmonary rehabilitation program incorporated with VR-based features, and the control group (control group) participating in the same therapeutic elements but in a traditional manner. Randomization was performed using the Research Randomizer (ratio 1:1), a web-based service that offers instant random assignment. Sealed envelopes were used for group assignment. The inclusion criteria were: women and men aged 40–80 years and a confirmation from a primary care physician of having had COVID-19 infection. The exclusion criteria were: no consent to participate, active pneumonia diagnosed by x-ray, documented heart disease (stable or unstable), status after coronary artery bypass grafting, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, inability to exercise independently or musculoskeletal/neurological conditions that would prevent completion of the course, lung cancer, cognitive impairment, or Mini-Mental State Examination < 24. This study implemented a randomized control trial study design, approved by Bioethical commission Opole Medical Chamber in Opole (Approval Number: No. 343, 25 November 2021), registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05244135), and carried out in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki guidelines (