Core outcome measurement set for research and clinical practice in post-COVID-19 condition (long COVID) in children and young people: an international Delphi consensus study "PC-COS Children"
- PMID: 38359962
- PMCID: PMC10938351
- DOI: 10.1183/13993003.01761-2023
Core outcome measurement set for research and clinical practice in post-COVID-19 condition (long COVID) in children and young people: an international Delphi consensus study "PC-COS Children"
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic substantially impacted different age groups, with children and young people not exempted. Many have experienced enduring health consequences. Presently, there is no consensus on the health outcomes to assess in children and young people with post-COVID-19 condition. Furthermore, it is unclear which measurement instruments are appropriate for use in research and clinical management of children and young people with post-COVID-19. To address these unmet needs, we conducted a consensus study, aiming to develop a core outcome set (COS) and an associated core outcome measurement set (COMS) for evaluating post-COVID-19 condition in children and young people. Our methodology comprised of two phases. In phase 1 (to create a COS), we performed an extensive literature review and categorisation of outcomes, and prioritised those outcomes in a two-round online modified Delphi process followed by a consensus meeting. In phase 2 (to create the COMS), we performed another modified Delphi consensus process to evaluate measurement instruments for previously defined core outcomes from phase 1, followed by an online consensus workshop to finalise recommendations regarding the most appropriate instruments for each core outcome. In phase 1, 214 participants from 37 countries participated, with 154 (72%) contributing to both Delphi rounds. The subsequent online consensus meeting resulted in a final COS which encompassed seven critical outcomes: fatigue; post-exertion symptoms; work/occupational and study changes; as well as functional changes, symptoms, and conditions relating to cardiovascular, neuro-cognitive, gastrointestinal and physical outcomes. In phase 2, 11 international experts were involved in a modified Delphi process, selecting measurement instruments for a subsequent online consensus workshop where 30 voting participants discussed and independently scored the selected instruments. As a result of this consensus process, four instruments met a priori consensus criteria for inclusion: PedsQL multidimensional fatigue scale for "fatigue"; PedsQL gastrointestinal symptom scales for "gastrointestinal"; PedsQL cognitive functioning scale for "neurocognitive" and EQ-5D for "physical functioning". Despite proposing outcome measurement instruments for the remaining three core outcomes ("cardiovascular", "post-exertional malaise", "work/occupational and study changes"), a consensus was not achieved. Our international, consensus-based initiative presents a robust framework for evaluating post-COVID-19 condition in children and young people in research and clinical practice via a rigorously defined COS and associated COMS. It will aid in the uniform measurement and reporting of relevant health outcomes worldwide.
Copyright ©The authors 2024.
Conflict of interest statement
Conflict of interest: D. Munblit is a Co-Chair of International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) Global Paediatric Long COVID Working Group, member of ISARIC working group on long-term follow-up in adults. C. Apfelbacher reports grants or contracts from Dr Wolff Group, Bionorica and The European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST); he also acknowledges consulting fees from the Dr Wolff Group, Bionorica, Sanofi and LEO Pharma; he serves as a Co-Chair Harmonising Outcome Measures for Eczema (HOME) initiative and is Co-Chair of the Hand Eczema Core Outcome Set (HECOS) initiative and is core principal investigator of the KUNOKids Health Study (Regensburg, Germany). J.V. Diaz is the lead of the clinical management response pillar for COVID-19 and in that capacity convenes the WHO Clinical Characterization and Management Research working group; the Post COVID-19 COS steering committee was a sub-working group of this bigger group. O.L. Aiyegbusi has received research grants from UCB, Kidney Research UK, Gilead Sciences Ltd, The Health Foundation, NIHR Birmingham BRC, NIHR ARC, NIHR BTRU, Innovate UK, Merck, GSK, Anthony Nolan and Sarcoma UK; he has also received personal fees from GSK, Gilead Sciences, Innovate UK and Merck. C.R. Oliveira receives grant support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), grant numbers OT2HL161847 and K23AI159518. P.R. Williamson is chair of the Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials (COMET) Management Group. Other authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Figures


Similar articles
-
Core outcome measurement instruments for use in clinical and research settings for adults with post-COVID-19 condition: an international Delphi consensus study.Lancet Respir Med. 2023 Dec;11(12):1101-1114. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(23)00370-3. Epub 2023 Nov 2. Lancet Respir Med. 2023. PMID: 37926103 Review.
-
A core outcome set for post-COVID-19 condition in adults for use in clinical practice and research: an international Delphi consensus study.Lancet Respir Med. 2022 Jul;10(7):715-724. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(22)00169-2. Epub 2022 Jun 14. Lancet Respir Med. 2022. PMID: 35714658 Free PMC article. Review.
-
A core outcome domain set for clinical research on capillary malformations (the COSCAM project): an e-Delphi process and consensus meeting.Br J Dermatol. 2022 Nov;187(5):730-742. doi: 10.1111/bjd.21723. Epub 2022 Jul 31. Br J Dermatol. 2022. PMID: 35762296 Free PMC article.
-
Developing a Core Outcome Set for Netherton Syndrome: An International Multi-Stakeholder e-Delphi Consensus Study.Dermatology. 2025;241(1):35-48. doi: 10.1159/000542215. Epub 2024 Nov 1. Dermatology. 2025. PMID: 39496226 Free PMC article.
-
Measuring communication as a core outcome in aphasia trials: Results of the ROMA-2 international core outcome set development meeting.Int J Lang Commun Disord. 2023 Jul-Aug;58(4):1017-1028. doi: 10.1111/1460-6984.12840. Epub 2022 Dec 30. Int J Lang Commun Disord. 2023. PMID: 36583427 Free PMC article.
Cited by
-
Unraveling Dysgeusia in SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Clinical and Laboratory Insights from Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients in Romania.Pathogens. 2025 Mar 21;14(4):300. doi: 10.3390/pathogens14040300. Pathogens. 2025. PMID: 40333079 Free PMC article.
-
Characteristics and predictors of Long Covid in children: a 3-year prospective cohort study.EClinicalMedicine. 2024 Sep 5;76:102815. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102815. eCollection 2024 Oct. EClinicalMedicine. 2024. PMID: 39296584 Free PMC article.
-
Long COVID in pediatric age: an observational, prospective, longitudinal, multicenter study in Italy.Front Immunol. 2025 Apr 9;16:1466201. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1466201. eCollection 2025. Front Immunol. 2025. PMID: 40270969 Free PMC article.
-
Distinct pro-inflammatory/pro-angiogenetic signatures distinguish children with Long COVID from controls.Pediatr Res. 2025 Jan 24. doi: 10.1038/s41390-025-03837-0. Online ahead of print. Pediatr Res. 2025. PMID: 39849114
-
Risk Factors for Pediatric Critical COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2024 Jul 20;13(7):352-362. doi: 10.1093/jpids/piae052. J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2024. PMID: 38780125 Free PMC article.
References
-
- Global Burden of Disease Long COVID Collaborators , Wulf Hanson S, Abbafati C, et al. . Estimated global proportions of individuals with persistent fatigue, cognitive, and respiratory symptom clusters following symptomatic COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021. JAMA 2022; 328: 1604–1615. doi:10.1001/jama.2022.18931 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
-
- Rea M, Pawelek P, Ayoubkhani D. Prevalence of Ongoing Symptoms Following Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection in the UK. 2023. www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditio.... Date last accessed: 17 September 2023. Date last updated: 30 March 2023.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical
Research Materials
Miscellaneous