New Survey Highlights Essential Role Of Virtual Care For Long Covid Patients

Preliminary results of a nationalist study conducted by researchers astatine nan Simon Fraser University Faculty of Health Sciences (SFU FHS) has recovered that Canadians pinch Long COVID identified virtual healthcare services arsenic basal to their care.

"Many of nan 621 study respondents from crossed nan state shared how lifesaving and essential these virtual services are in providing accessibility to attraction that reduces risk of infections, recreation time, and PEM", shared FHS Research Fellow Kayli Jamieson, who besides has Long COVID herself. 

PEM, aliases Post-Exertional Malaise, is communal successful galore group pinch Long COVID, meaning that physical, mental, aliases sensory activity triggers tin origin a flare-up successful symptoms lasting from hours to weeks. It is 1 of galore factors that contributes to nan chronic and often disabling quality of Long COVID.

The study, led by FHS Assistant Professor Dr. Julia Smith, intends to analyze experiences with virtual attraction done an intersectional lens and ultimately produce a nationalist guidebook providing recommendations on improving virtual attraction access for group pinch Long COVID.

A investigation little detailing nan findings to day from nan nationalist study was issued this fall. In summation to nan recognition of nan value of virtual care, 69 per cent of respondents shared that their superior attraction provider had low-to-no consciousness of Long COVID, identifying different contiguous and important obstruction to accessing wellness care

These preliminary results propose that virtual attraction is particularly helpful for people pinch Long COVID who face barriers accessing wellness services specified as rural, racialized and 2SLGBTQIA+ patients. We are conducting further investigation to amended understand really virtual healthcare tin amended service these groups."

Dr. Julia Smith, FHS Assistant Professor 

Additional recommendations see expanding readiness of specialized Long COVID services successful Canada-a proposal that will require training more specialists and attraction providers connected Long COVID management for informed, effective, and safe care.

The adjacent phases of nan study will see conducting attraction groups pinch equity-deserving populations who person Long COVID and hosting a deliberative dialogue session among patients, clinicians, and policymakers to amended place systemic solutions to reside this increasing spread successful wellness care.