Little is known about how students in rehabilitation sciences accept and use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in their educational endeavors. We explored student perceptions, acceptance, and utilization of GenAI in school and their beliefs about its usefulness and ease of use. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted of adult students enrolled in rehabilitation sciences programs within a private urban academic university. The survey was based on the Technology Acceptance Model with questions specific to the use of GenAI in school. A total of 196 responses were included in the analysis (32.9% response rate), with responses received across all rehabilitation sciences programs. Half the respondents (50%) reported using GenAI “some of the time” in school, and 6.1% indicated frequent usage of “most of” or “all” the time. Users reported using GenAI to explain and review concepts (n = 49), to generate content or ideas (n = 20), and for grammatical support (n = 21). Users perceived GenAI as more useful and easier to use than non-users. Over half of rehabilitation sciences students use GenAI for school; however, only 6.1% report routine usage. Given the expected growth and potential of GenAI, faculty should explore strategies to facilitate the acceptance and appropriate use of this innovative technology.

Objective: Severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can result in irreversible lung damage, with some individuals requiring lung transplantation. The purpose of this case series is to describe the initial experience with the rehabilitation and functional outcomes of 9 patients receiving a lung transplant for COVID-19. Methods: Nine individuals, ranging in age from 37 to 68 years, received bilateral orthotopic lung transplantation (BOLT) for COVID-19 between December 2020 and July 2021. Rehabilitation was provided before and after the transplant, including in-hospital rehabilitation, postacute care inpatient rehabilitation, and outpatient rehabilitation. Results: Progress with mobility was limited in the pretransplant phase despite rehabilitation efforts. Following transplantation, 2 individuals expired before resuming rehabilitation, and 2 others had complications that delayed their progress. The remaining 5 experienced clinically important improvements in mobility and walking capacities. Conclusion: Considerable rehabilitation resources are required to care for individuals both before and after BOLT for COVID-19. Rehabilitation can have a profound impact on both functional and clinical outcomes for this unique patient population. Impact: There is limited literature on the rehabilitation efforts and outcomes for patients who received BOLT for COVID-19. Occupational therapists and physical therapists play an important role during the pretransplant and posttransplant recovery process for this novel patient population. Lay Summary: Patients with a bilateral orthotopic lung transplant due to COVID-19 require a unique rehabilitation process. They have significant difficulties with activities of daily living and functional mobility across the pretransplant and posttransplant continuum of care, but progressive gains in functional performance may be possible with a comprehensive multidisciplinary rehabilitation program.

Purpose: Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) can optimize Long COVID rehabilitation outcomes; however, an understanding of the target condition and available resources influence the adoption of CPGs. This study explored rehabilitation provider's awareness of Long COVID and their use of associated CPGs within the United States. Methods: A cross-sectional sample of 300 rehabilitation providers (100 physical therapists, 100 occupational therapists, 100 speech-language pathologists) were randomly selected from the state with the highest prevalence of Long COVID within each of the 9 U.S. geographic divisions. A total of 2700 participants were invited to complete a survey exploring their awareness of Long COVID and use of CPGs. Results: Surveys were received from 299 providers (11.6% response rate) across all identified states and disciplines. Most (70.2%) reported awareness of Long COVID symptomatology. Few were aware of relevant CPGs (12.7%) or used them (7.4%) in practice. Although 39.8% reported awareness of symptom exacerbation triggers, only 8.3% knew of associated screening tools. Similar trends were noted when responses were limited to those who treat Long COVID. Nearly all respondents (88.2%) believed that Long COVID will persist in the rehabilitation community. Conclusion: Rehabilitation providers perceive that they are aware of Long COVID symptomatology, although there is a lack of awareness and application of relevant CPGs across disciplines. Discrepancies between providers' perceived and actual understanding of Long COVID rehabilitation likely exist that can impede outcomes if evidence-based resources are underused. Interdisciplinary initiatives to enhance evidence translation to rehabilitation are needed to optimize Long COVID practice.

Purpose: Effective translation of knowledge to rehabilitation practice requires disseminating relevant resources in accessible locations that meet the needs of clinicians. This study explored rehabilitation providers' perceived challenges in managing Long COVID and their strategies used to optimize the quality of care delivered. Methods: A cross-sectional sample of 2700 rehabilitation providers (900 PTs, 900 OTs, 900 SLPs) were randomly selected from the state with the highest prevalence of Long COVID according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Household Pulse Survey within each of the US geographic divisions. Participants were invited to complete a survey exploring their clinical challenges and methods utilized to obtain resources to support the rehabilitation needs of individuals with Long COVID. Results: A total of 296 providers (11.6% response rate) were included in the final analysis, with 97 (32.7%) indicating they treat people with Long COVID frequently or occasionally. Across the sample, lack of knowledge (60.1%) and lack of experience (59.0%) regarding the condition were identified as the primary challenges to rehabilitation. Professional networking (33.4%) and federal government websites (29%) were used to support knowledge, with noted differences in the forums accessed. Conclusions: Challenges exist in providing quality rehabilitation to individuals with Long COVID that can be addressed with evidence-based resources. However, rehabilitation providers may not be effectively accessing or utilizing these resources in practice, which may perpetuate these challenges. Targeted interdisciplinary initiatives that enhance clinicians understanding of Long COVID may increase the ability to identify individuals with this condition and either provide, or refer them to, quality rehabilitation to optimize outcomes.