Miller, A. orcid.org/0000-0002-8549-5158, Song, N., Sivan, M. orcid.org/0000-0002-0334-2968 et al. (2 more authors) (2024) Identifying the needs of people with long COVID: a qualitative study in the UK. BMJ Open, 14 (6). e082728. ISSN 2044-6055
Abstract
Objectives To identify the needs of people with long COVID (LC) in the UK.
Design Qualitative study using the Framework Analysis to analyse focus group discussions.
Participants 25 adults with LC aged 19–76 years including 17 men and 8 women. Average disease duration was 80.1 weeks.
Setting Eight focus groups were conducted in April 2023 online and in-person at the University of Leeds (UoL), UK. Recruitment routes included advertisement via Leeds Community Healthcare services, the English National Opera Breathe Programme and within the UoL.
Results Three key themes/needs were identified. (Theme 1) Support systems including community groups, disability benefits, clinical services and employment support should be accessible and tailored to the needs of people with LC. (Theme 2) Research should investigate the physiology of symptoms, new clinical tests and treatment interventions to improve clinical understanding of the condition and symptom management. (Theme 3) Societal awareness should be promoted via local and national initiatives to educate the public about the condition and reduce stigma.
Conclusions Participants experienced varied and individual challenges to daily life due to LC. There is a need for government acknowledgement of LC as a disability to ensure people with LC have access to disability support and legal protection. Policy development should be patient-driven and acknowledge the individual needs of people with LC in order to improve their quality of life.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License (CC-BY-NC 4.0). |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Medicine (Leeds) > Institute of Rheumatology & Musculoskeletal Medicine (LIRMM) (Leeds) > Rehabilitation Medicine (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Psychology (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number Wellcome Trust 219420/Z/19/Z |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 12 Jul 2024 09:53 |
Last Modified: | 12 Jul 2024 09:53 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | BMJ |
Identification Number: | 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-082728 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:214201 |