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. 2024 Mar 6;76(1):8-24.
doi: 10.3138/ptc-2023-0021. eCollection 2024 Feb.

"I Had to Know About It, I Had to Find It, I Had to Know How to Access it": Experiences of Access to Rehabilitation Services Among People Living with Long COVID

Pam Hung  1 , Katelyn Brehon  1 , Maxi Miciak  1 , Darren A Brown  2 , Geoffrey Bostick  3 , Cary Brown  4 , Katie Churchill  5 , Mark Hall  3 , Lance Hoddinott  6 , Anne Hudon  7 , Simone Hunter  8 , Kadija Perreault  9 , Marguerite Wieler  3 , Kate Skolnik  10 , Grace Y Lam  11 , Jason Weatherald  11 , Douglas P Gross  3   1
Affiliations

"I Had to Know About It, I Had to Find It, I Had to Know How to Access it": Experiences of Access to Rehabilitation Services Among People Living with Long COVID

Pam Hung et al. Physiother Can. .

Abstract
in English, French

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.

Keywords: COVID-19; health services; lived experience; post-COVID condition; rehabilitation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: DPG is chief investigator or co-investigator on multiple previous and current research grants from government research agencies in Canada (e.g Canadian Institutes for Health Research, Alberta Innovates, Alberta Labour and Immigration) and the Netherlands (e.g TechForFuture Centre of Expertise HTSM Oost). His research has also received funding from philanthropy and quasi-governmental agencies (e.g Workers’ Compensation Board of Alberta, Workers’ Compensation Board of Manitoba, WorkSafeBC, Institute for Health Economics) and charities linked to professional body membership (e.g Physiotherapy Foundation of Canada, Canadian Occupational Therapy Foundation). Additionally, he has received research grants from industry (Medtronics). His travel expenses have been covered when he has been an invited speaker at conferences and he has received honoraria for talks, reviewing grants and theses (no honoraria or travel expenses from pharmaceutical or device companies). JW has received research grants (paid to institution) from Canadian Institutes for Health Research, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, outside the current work. He has also received research grants (paid to the institution) from Janssen, Astra Zeneca, Merck, and Bayer. JW has also received honoraria and speaker's fees (paid to him) from Janssen and Merck, as well as travel support from Janssen. JW has received payments for attending advisory boards (paid to him) from Janssen and Merck. GL has received research grants from Roche Diagnostics, Alberta Lung, and Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) as well as honoraria from Boehringer Ingelheim (honoraria for educational event) and Alberta Lung (honoraria for educational event). All other authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A conceptual framework of access to healthcare.
Figure A1
Figure A1
Qualitative data analysis process.
None
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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