Long COVID Optimal Health Program (LC-OHP)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Long COVID Optimal Health Program (LC-OHP) to enhance psychological and physical health: a feasibility randomised controlled trial
IRAS ID
304234
Contact name
Chantal Ski
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Suffolk
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN38746119
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 17 days
Research summary
People with long COVID have various symptoms lasting 12 weeks or more beyond the acute infection. The most commonly presenting symptoms include fatigue, brain fog, and increased risk for developing psychiatric problems (e.g. anxiety and depression) which significantly impact an individual's quality of life. As COVID-19 is still a new viral infection, there are still lots of unknowns surrounding it and no standard treatment is yet available to treat or prevent its development. Treatments given are dependent on presenting complaints. In response to increased challenges, healthcare recommendations were given to provide complete support to people with long COVID including support to mitigate their fatigue, improve mental health and encourage self-management. In this study, we are proposing to use the Long COVID Optimal Health Program (LC-OHP) to enable patients to manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life. The OHP is a person-centred psychological support program that provides clinicians with a consistent approach to support patient self-management. Prior use of the OHP across a range of chronic conditions, i.e., diabetes, asthma and chronic kidney disease, has demonstrated effective change in a range of symptoms. However, it has not been used in people with long COVID. This study aims to test the feasibility of the LC-OHP program to improve psychological and physical health of people with long COVID. A team at the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) will help us identify eligible people and we will follow up with those interested and consent them to the study. People taking part will be randomised into two groups, a group that will receive the LC-OHP program and another that will receive standard care. All people will complete questionnaires at different time points to help us identify the efficacy of the LC-OHP in improving quality of life and symptoms.
REC name
South West - Central Bristol Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/SW/0136
Date of REC Opinion
30 Sep 2021
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion