What is current care for people with Long COVID in England: qualitative interview study
What is current care for people with Long COVID in England: qualitative interview study
Objective: to investigate current care for people with Long COVID in England.
Design: In-depth, semi-structured interviews with people living with Long COVID and Long COVID healthcare professionals; data analysed using thematic analysis.
Setting: NHS England (NHSE) post-COVID services in six clinics from November 2022 to July 2023.
Participants: 15 healthcare professionals and 21 people living with Long COVID currently attending or discharged (18 female; 3 male).
Results: health professionals and people with lived experience highlighted the multifaceted nature of Long COVID, including its varied symptoms, impact on peoples' lives and the complexity involved in managing this condition. These impacts encompass physical, social, mental and environmental dimensions. People with Long COVID reported barriers in accessing primary care, as well as negative GP consultations where they felt unheard or invalidated, though some positive interactions were also noted. Peer support or support systems proved highly valuable and beneficial for individuals, aiding their recovery and well-being. Post-COVID services were viewed as spaces where overlooked voices found validation, offering more than medical expertise. Despite initial challenges, healthcare providers' increasing expertise in diagnosing and treating Long COVID has helped refine care approaches for this condition.
Conclusion: long COVID care in England is not uniform across all locations. Effective communication, specialised expertise and comprehensive support systems are crucial. A patient-centred approach considering the unique complexities of Long COVID, including physical, mental health, social and environmental aspects is needed. Sustained access to post-COVID services is imperative, with success dependent on offering continuous rehabilitation beyond rapid recovery, acknowledging the condition's enduring impacts and complexities.
COVID-19, health services, post-acute COVID-19 syndrome, public health, qualitative research
Sunkersing, David
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Ramasawmy, Mel
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Alwan, Nisreen A.
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Clutterbuck, Donna
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Mu, Yi
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Horstmanshof, Kim
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Banerjee, Amitava
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Heightman, Melissa
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Sunkersing, David
848c46be-b9ec-4086-8d66-67284dd67602
Ramasawmy, Mel
319980b0-b499-4985-81a3-5328ee80b38d
Alwan, Nisreen A.
0d37b320-f325-4ed3-ba51-0fe2866d5382
Clutterbuck, Donna
b5afd11c-fbc3-422c-8c88-296146d9db02
Mu, Yi
a83000a0-0869-4c6a-bdda-cab466273968
Horstmanshof, Kim
d5a60546-b7c8-46e9-a7cc-0c4f3c4c3a3b
Banerjee, Amitava
54e72d0a-9ae5-4914-8d66-79ab061dbf11
Heightman, Melissa
66caa78e-72a5-497a-8331-e8679dc1e584
Sunkersing, David, Ramasawmy, Mel, Alwan, Nisreen A., Clutterbuck, Donna, Mu, Yi, Horstmanshof, Kim, Banerjee, Amitava and Heightman, Melissa
(2024)
What is current care for people with Long COVID in England: qualitative interview study.
BMJ Open, 14 (5), [e080967].
(doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2023-080967).
Abstract
Objective: to investigate current care for people with Long COVID in England.
Design: In-depth, semi-structured interviews with people living with Long COVID and Long COVID healthcare professionals; data analysed using thematic analysis.
Setting: NHS England (NHSE) post-COVID services in six clinics from November 2022 to July 2023.
Participants: 15 healthcare professionals and 21 people living with Long COVID currently attending or discharged (18 female; 3 male).
Results: health professionals and people with lived experience highlighted the multifaceted nature of Long COVID, including its varied symptoms, impact on peoples' lives and the complexity involved in managing this condition. These impacts encompass physical, social, mental and environmental dimensions. People with Long COVID reported barriers in accessing primary care, as well as negative GP consultations where they felt unheard or invalidated, though some positive interactions were also noted. Peer support or support systems proved highly valuable and beneficial for individuals, aiding their recovery and well-being. Post-COVID services were viewed as spaces where overlooked voices found validation, offering more than medical expertise. Despite initial challenges, healthcare providers' increasing expertise in diagnosing and treating Long COVID has helped refine care approaches for this condition.
Conclusion: long COVID care in England is not uniform across all locations. Effective communication, specialised expertise and comprehensive support systems are crucial. A patient-centred approach considering the unique complexities of Long COVID, including physical, mental health, social and environmental aspects is needed. Sustained access to post-COVID services is imperative, with success dependent on offering continuous rehabilitation beyond rapid recovery, acknowledging the condition's enduring impacts and complexities.
Text
What is current care for people with Long COVID in England A qualitative interview study
- Accepted Manuscript
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e080967.full
- Version of Record
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 1 May 2024
e-pub ahead of print date: 16 May 2024
Keywords:
COVID-19, health services, post-acute COVID-19 syndrome, public health, qualitative research
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 490148
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/490148
ISSN: 2044-6055
PURE UUID: 7d208c3a-c855-48af-ad13-1635977c6d14
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Date deposited: 15 May 2024 16:44
Last modified: 06 Jun 2024 02:12
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Contributors
Author:
David Sunkersing
Author:
Mel Ramasawmy
Author:
Donna Clutterbuck
Author:
Yi Mu
Author:
Kim Horstmanshof
Author:
Amitava Banerjee
Author:
Melissa Heightman
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