ABSTRACT
Purpose: The aim of this qualitative study is to understand the need for, access to, and quality of rehabilitation services for people living with Long COVID. Little is known about the experiences of people living with Long COVID accessing rehabilitation services. Therefore, we explored health concerns leading people living with Long COVID to seek help to address functional concerns and their experiences with accessing and participating in rehabilitation. Method: Interpretive description guided exploration of participants' experiences with Long COVID rehabilitation in Alberta, Canada. Semi-structured interviews were completed with 56 participants recruited from: three publicly funded Long COVID clinics, a specialized private physiotherapy clinic, a telephone-based rehabilitation advice line, and a Workers' Compensation Board-funded Long COVID rehabilitation program. Recruitment through mass media coverage allowed us to include people who did not access rehabilitation services. Data analysis was informed by Braun and Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Four themes were identified: (1) the burden of searching for guidance to address challenges with functioning and disability; (2) supportive relationships promote engagement in rehabilitation; (3) conditions for participation in safe rehabilitation; and (4) looking forward - provision of appropriate interventions at the right time. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the experiences of accessing rehabilitation services for people living with Long COVID. Results suggest approaches to Long COVID rehabilitation should be accessible, multi-disciplinary, flexible, and person-centred.
Objectif: étude qualitative pour comprendre les besoins en services de réadaptation des personnes qui vivent avec la COVID longue, l'accès à ces services et leur qualité. On sait peu de choses sur les expériences des personnes qui vivent avec la COVID longue et accèdent à des services de réadaptation. C'est pourquoi les auteurs ont exploré les inquiétudes qui incitent ces personnes à demander de l'aide pour répondre à leurs problèmes fonctionnels et les expériences qu'elles ont vécues en matière d'accès à la réadaptation et de participation aux services qui y sont associés. Méthodologie: exploration guidée de la description interprétative des expériences des participants qui suivent une réadaptation à cause de la COVID longue en Alberta, au Canada. Les chercheurs ont procédé à des entrevues semi-structurées auprès de 56 participants recrutés dans trois cliniques de COVID longue financées par le gouvernement, une clinique de physiothérapie spécialisée privée, une ligne téléphonique de conseils en réadaptation et un programme de réadaptation après la COVID longue remboursé par la commission des accidents de travail. Le recrutement dans les médias de masse a permis d'inclure des personnes qui n'avaient pas accédé aux services de réadaptation. L'examen des données reposait sur l'analyse thématique réflexive de Braun et Clarke. Résultats: les chercheurs ont relevé quatre thèmes : 1) le fardeau de la recherche de conseils pour répondre aux problèmes de fonctionnement et d'incapacité; 2) les relations de soutien qui favorisent la participation à la réadaptation; 3) les conditions nécessaires pour participer à une réadaptation sécuritaire et 4) pour l'avenir, la prestation d'interventions appropriées au bon moment. Conclusions: les constatations des auteurs font ressortir les expériences d'accès aux services de réadaptation chez les personnes qui vivent avec la COVID longue. Selon les résultats, les approches de réadaptation après la COVID longue devraient être accessibles, multidisciplinaires, flexibles et axées sur l'individu.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Understanding of Long COVID has advanced through patient-led initiatives. However, research about barriers to accessing Long COVID services is limited. This study aimed to better understand the need for, access to, and quality of, Long COVID services. We explored health needs and experiences of services, including ability of services to address needs. METHODS: Our study was informed by the Levesque et al.'s (2013) "conceptual framework of access to health care." We used Interpretive Description, a qualitative approach partly aimed at informing clinical decisions. We recruited participants across five settings. Participants engaged in one-time, semi-structured, virtual interviews. Interviews were transcribed verbatim. We used reflexive thematic analysis. Best practice to ensure methodological rigour was employed. RESULTS: Three key themes were generated from 56 interviews. The first theme illustrated the rollercoaster-like nature of participants' Long COVID symptoms and the resulting impact on function and health. The second theme highlighted participants' attempts to access Long COVID services. Guidance received from healthcare professionals and self-advocacy impacted initial access. When navigating Long COVID services within the broader system, participants encountered barriers to access around stigma; appointment logistics; testing and 'normal' results; and financial precarity and affordability of services. The third theme illuminated common factors participants liked and disliked about Long COVID services. We framed each sub-theme as the key lesson (stemming from all likes and dislikes) that, if acted upon, the health system can use to improve the quality of Long COVID services. This provides tangible ways to improve the system based directly on what we heard from participants. CONCLUSION: With Long COVID services continuously evolving, our findings can inform decision makers within the health system to better understand the lived experiences of Long COVID and tailor services and policies appropriately.
