Rehabilitation of patients with long-covid-19 - development and evaluation of specific tailored interventions

Bakgrund: Long term symptoms after covid-19 were initially mainly reported in patients that required intensive care, however, post-covid-19 symptoms may also occur after so-called long- covid-19. An increasing number of patients that never required hospital treatment during their covid-19 illness are displaying the same long-term symptoms, of varying severity, involving several organ systems as the patients that were treated in hospital.

These patients have also had significant impact on performance of daily activities as well as the ability to return to work. The degrees of impaired physical and psychological function as well as varying degrees of fatigue and cognitive impairment leads to a decreased health-realated quality of life. Rehabilitation will be necessary to be able to improve function, return to work and to be able to participate in leisure activities.

Målsättning:To evaluate the effects of specific tailored interventions on physical and psychological function and health-related quality of life for patients with long- covid-19. Further the aim is also to describe the patients experiences of such interventions.

Arbetsplan:The study is a collaboration between, Karolinska University Hospital (K), Karolinska Institutet, Skåne University Hospital and Lund University. The project consists of three studies. Study1 (singles subject design): Physical training in patients with POTS after covid-19, Study 2 (RCT): Effects of inspiratory muscle training after covid-19.

In study 1 and 2 physical and psychological functions, work ability and health-related quality of life will bea measured before and after the interventions. Study 3 (qualitative approach): Non-hospitalized patients experience of rehabilitation after covid-19. A semi-structured interview guide will be constructed with questions regarding the experience of rehabilitation.

Betydelse:Covid-19 has the potential to affect physical, cognitive, and psychological functions in multiple ways and lead to a severe negative impact on quality of life in the long-term perspective. Therefore, development of a rehabilitation program with specific tailored interventions will be necessary in order to help them to be able to improve physical and psychological function, as well as health-realted quality of life and return to work.

This project will deepen the knowledge about effects of specialized rehabilitation as well as the patients’ experiences of the rehabilitation.