EPS1.04 Audit of virtual exercise class during COVID-19 in children with cystic fibrosis

Johnstone, Z.; Hyson, J.

The UK CF Trust Physiotherapy Standards of Care document (2020) advocates that physical activity & exercise should be part of the routine management for people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF) at any age for health & quality of life (QOL). During the COVID-19 pandemic we were unable to offer face to face exercise sessions in the community. Weekly virtual group exercise sessions were offered in place of this. Objectives: To implement a virtual exercise class including children with CF during COVID-19 and audit any cost & time savings. Methods: From a cohort of >150, 25 children were identified as requiring additional support to engage with exercise. 13 children accepted the offer of classes. A two-way interactive session was initiated where the physiotherapist provided specialist advice, monitoring & prompting, thereby enhancing engagement in the classes. Classes ran once weekly for 6 weeks. The regular format of the class was high intensity interval training (HIIT). The class attendees were all asked to consent to being seen on screen by the physio & the other class attendees, with parental/carer supervision within the home. General advice around pacing of activity & hydration was provided in addition to more specific advice to those where needed. Results: 100% of participants reported the classes to be beneficial. They were attended by children with a wide variety of baseline exercise levels (<1 hour to?>4 hours/week). Length, intensity and enjoyment of the classes were described as ‘excellent’. 100% of responding attendees would recommend the classes to other families. [Table Presented] Conclusions: Children attending the classes found them beneficial. Virtual classes were both time and cost-effective. A downward trend of attendance was noticed when schools reopened and shielding eased. Recommendations: Qualitative data on whether this platform provides some peer support to pwCF would be recommended.