Feelgood [COVID-19]
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Psychological impact of admission with Covid-19 during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: Naturalistic cohort study with a digital intervention
IRAS ID
283828
Contact name
Joanna Dobbin
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
Eudract number
2020-000936-23
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 19 days
Research summary
It is important that the long-term wellbeing of patients who have been admitted with Covid-19 during the pandemic is addressed. A newly published meta analysis (Rogers et al 2020) has looked at the neuropsychiatric consequences of all coronavirus epidemics, including Serious Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory (MERS) outbreaks, as well as the first emerging studies from SARS-CoV-2. These studies demonstrate that post-illness neuropsychiatric complications including anxiety and depression can persist up to 36 months after the original illness.\n\nThis is a naturalistic cohort trial with a digital intervention. The study population consists of those patients who were admitted with Covid-19, during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, who at 8 weeks after discharge were found to have symptoms relating to anxiety and depression. In this context Covid-19 refers to the disease caused by the virus (named SARS-CoV-2). The study population does not include those who required intensive care admission during their stay. Excluding usual community psychiatric services (for example improving access to psychological therapies) and some specialist intensive care follow up services, no interventions at the Royal Free have been set up to address the long-term psychological impacts of admission to hospital with COVID-19.\n\nThe digital intervention is an app that consists of twelve audio tracks that combine applied relaxation, mindfulness, cognitive behaviour therapy and positive visualisation. It is a validated guided self-help tool for treatment of anxiety and depression in the NHS, and recommended by NHS digital. Participants are asked to listen to one or two tracks daily for the initial 14 days, and as they find beneficial thereafter. They are then followed up, at 2 and 12 weeks, with their anxiety and depression scales (the GAD-7 and PHQ-9). \n\nThe trial is a single site study that will take place at the Royal Free, with discharged patients in the community.\n
REC name
West Midlands - Edgbaston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/WM/0234
Date of REC Opinion
7 Sep 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion