ABSTRACT
Introduction: NICE guidance (2020) for Long Covid calls for a comprehensive assessment and, where appropriate, referral to rehabilitation. Our aim was to explore characteristics of rehabilitation programmes (RP) for patients in the UK. Method(s): Rehabilitation specific information was extracted from a survey of sites taking part in the PHOSP-COVID study (https://www.phosp.org/), Feb 2020-Mar 2021. Data included professions and services involved, content, outcome measures and model used. Data was recorded on JISC and exported to Excel. Result(s): 32/45 sites had access to RP, half was covid specific RP. 22 provided content information. Most RP were delivered by the same organisation providing post-hospitalisation review, 19/22 used more than one model of delivery. Models included face to face, virtual, digital platforms and home-based models. Decisions on how to deliver RP depended on available staff, service pressures, safety and patient preference. RPs delivered most often by Allied Health Professionals and existing Pulmonary Rehabilitation services (16 services), 3 single profession. Not all RPs matched outcome measures to components delivered, Figure1. Conclusion(s): 2/3rds of sites were able to access either covid or non-covid specific MDT rehabilitation. There is heterogeneity in the assessment and content of rehabilitation delivered, as well as the model of delivery.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: For patients with Long Covid, NICE guidance 2020 suggests a comprehensive clinical assessment alongside referral to rehabilitation where appropriate. We aimed to describe and categorise UK healthcare pathways post-hospital discharge for COVID-19 as a first step towards understanding clinical and cost-effectiveness. Method(s): We surveyed hospital sites taking part in the PHOSP-COVID study (www.phosp.org). The online survey topics included availability of proactive follow-up, patient access, involvement of multidisciplinary and specialty teams, investigations, and access to rehabilitation. Data was recorded on JISC. The classification of services was coproduced by patients, clinicians, and policy makers at a consensus event. Result(s): 45/64 (70%) hospitals completed the survey and 37/45 had a proactive follow-up service. Figure 1 shows the classification of clinical assessment and mapping of rehabilitation services from the consensus event. Conclusion(s): In the UK, there is heterogeneity in patient access and intensity of assessment services available posthospitalisation for survivors of Covid-19. At site level, the intensity of assessment provided did not fully map to the intensity of rehabilitation provided.