Covid Recovery
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Supported remote rehabilitation post COVID-19: development, deployment, and evaluation of a digitally enabled rehabilitation programme
IRAS ID
288199
Contact name
Henry Goodfellow
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London Hospital
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Z6364106/2021/01/72, Data Protection number
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 8 months, 27 days
Research summary
Nearly 300,000 people in the UK had been affected by Covid-19 by 6/7/20. Many patients have symptoms that last for months after the acute infection, particularly breathlessness, fatigue and anxiety, which can be treated. Physiotherapy helps people rebuild their muscles and regain their strength. People need dietary advice to help recover lost weight and rebuild muscles. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can help with anxiety and fatigue. These treatments are normally delivered by skilled clinicians (physiotherapists, dieticians, psychologists). However, there are not enough of these clinicians for all the patients who need help, and services are trying to avoid bringing patients to hospitals or clinics to stop the spread of Covid-19. Patients report feeling “abandoned” by the NHS and left to deal with these problems on their own.
We plan to deliver these treatments remotely, but with clinician support, using a digital tool. There are three parts to the tool. (1) an app for patients which collects symptoms and uses this information to deliver tailored, personalised advice. (2) a dashboard that allows clinicians to review patient progress and communicate with patients, and (3) a clinical pathway that specifies how patients can safely receive this remote supported care. This will benefit patients, as they will have access to effective treatments, and benefit clinicians and the health service by enabling them to look after many more patients efficiently and safely.
The research is to find out how best to do this. We will identify what patients and clinicians need from such a service, and how to deliver this with digital technology. We will determine if offering healthcare digitally could disadvantage some people, particularly older people or people from Black and Minority Ethnic or socially disadvantaged backgrounds.
REC name
East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/EM/0160
Date of REC Opinion
23 Jul 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion