tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Physiother Theory Pract. 2020 May 14:1-5. doi: 10.1080/09593985.2020.1757264. [Epub ahead of print]
Ultra-shortwave diathermy - a new purported treatment for management of patients with COVID-19.
Yu HP[SUP]1[/SUP], Jones AY[SUP]2,[/SUP][SUP]3[/SUP], Dean E[SUP]4[/SUP], Liisa Laakso E[SUP]5,[/SUP][SUP]6[/SUP].
Author information
Abstract
The pandemic spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has driven efforts to address the global threat to public health and there is increasing pressure to exploit interventions to manage the pneumonic inflammation manifested in this disease. Ultra-shortwave diathermy (USWD) is proposed by some rehabilitation professions in China, purportedly to minimise pneumonic inflammation. However, treatment of any symptomatic pneumonia should be evidence-based. There is no valid evidence, published in English, which establishes any benefit of USWD in pulmonary conditions, let alone COVID-19. The need for rigorous research and evidence-based practice is discussed in this article. Novel interventions require a solid physiological basis and must undergo rigorous testing prior to clinical adoption even during a pandemic. We are of the view that deployment of USWD in patients with COVID-19 must be prudent and supported by a logical scientific basis.
KEYWORDS:
Ultra-shortwave diathermy; COVID-19; evidence-based practice
PMID:32406778DOI:10.1080/09593985.2020.1757264
Ultra-shortwave diathermy - a new purported treatment for management of patients with COVID-19.
Yu HP[SUP]1[/SUP], Jones AY[SUP]2,[/SUP][SUP]3[/SUP], Dean E[SUP]4[/SUP], Liisa Laakso E[SUP]5,[/SUP][SUP]6[/SUP].
Author information
Abstract
The pandemic spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has driven efforts to address the global threat to public health and there is increasing pressure to exploit interventions to manage the pneumonic inflammation manifested in this disease. Ultra-shortwave diathermy (USWD) is proposed by some rehabilitation professions in China, purportedly to minimise pneumonic inflammation. However, treatment of any symptomatic pneumonia should be evidence-based. There is no valid evidence, published in English, which establishes any benefit of USWD in pulmonary conditions, let alone COVID-19. The need for rigorous research and evidence-based practice is discussed in this article. Novel interventions require a solid physiological basis and must undergo rigorous testing prior to clinical adoption even during a pandemic. We are of the view that deployment of USWD in patients with COVID-19 must be prudent and supported by a logical scientific basis.
KEYWORDS:
Ultra-shortwave diathermy; COVID-19; evidence-based practice
PMID:32406778DOI:10.1080/09593985.2020.1757264