Background: Hospitalized patients recovering from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may experience disability and suffer from significant physical and mental impairment requiring physical rehabilitation following their discharge. However, to date, no attempt has been made to collate and synthesize literature in this area.

Objective: This systematic review examines the outcomes of different physical rehabilitation interventions tested in COVID-19 patients who were discharged from hospital.

Search strategy: A systematic search of MEDLINE/PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus and medRxiv was conducted to identify articles published up to March 2022.

Inclusion criteria: This systematic review included studies of outpatient rehabilitation programs for people recovering from COVID-19 who received physical activity, exercise, or breathing training to enhance or restore functional capacity, pulmonary function, quality of life, and mental health or function.

Data extraction and analysis: Selection of included articles, data extraction, and methodological quality assessments were conducted by two review authors respectively, and consensus was reached through discussion and consultation with a third reviewer. Finally, we review the outcomes of studies based on four categories including: (1) functional capacity, (2) pulmonary function, (3) quality of life, and (4) mental health status.

Results: A total of 7534 titles and abstracts were screened; 10 cohort studies, 4 randomized controlled trials and 13 other prospective studies involving 1583 patients were included in our review. Early physical rehabilitation interventions applied in COVID-19 patients who were discharged from the hospital improved multiple parameters related to functional capacity, pulmonary function, quality of life and mental health status.

Conclusion: Physical rehabilitation interventions may be safe, feasible and effective in COVID-19 patients discharged from the hospital, and can improve a variety of clinically relevant outcomes. Further studies are warranted to determine the underlying mechanisms.

Key words: COVID-19, Physical activity, Exercise, Rehabilitation, Systematic review