Long-COVID at HCT
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Managing long-term symptoms of COVID-19 in a community rehabilitation unit in Hertfordshire. Mixed-methods evaluation of a long-COVID service.
IRAS ID
299032
Contact name
Emily Beadle
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Hertfordshire
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 6 days
Research summary
Emerging evidence has suggested that survivors of COVID-19 can continue to experience long term complications. So called "long-COVID" sufferers can even have these complications if their initial affliction was mild and did not require hospitalisation. The most common symptoms appear to be breathlessness and fatigue, however the depth and breadth of symptoms is highly variable. Hertfordshire Community Trust (HCT) developed a reactive, GP-led multidisciplinary rehabilitation pathway from August 2020 to help manage demand associated with the long-term complications of COVID. This research aims to answer the following questions: 1. Does the HCT long-COVID rehabilitation pathway improve outcomes for patients in term of quality of life? 2. What is the professional experience of setting up a reactive service during a pandemic? 3. What is the patient experience of the long-COVID services provided by HCT? 4. What are the barriers and facilitators to setting up and running such a service? This will involve a mixed-methods design, with analysis of service data and interviews conducted with patients and clinicians. The service data is already collected and patients who have already consented to having their data used for research will be included in this element. The interview will aim to recruit patients who accessed HCT long-COVID services in the period of interest who are: 1) medically fit to be interviewed, 2) have a good understanding and ability to speak English, 3) have no severe cognitive impairment, 4) able and willing to consent to be interviewed, 5) over the age of 18 years. It will also recruit clinicians working within the service who are willing to be interviewed. Recruitment for both of these groups will be convenience sampled.
REC name
London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/PR/0987
Date of REC Opinion
4 Aug 2021
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion