Long COVID Clinician Resources

We begin this section by reminding clinicians that, as repeated by the leading scientists and clinicians in the field, there are good reasons to take long-haulers’ complaints seriously. COVID-19 is a complex, systemic, multiorgan disease that starts in the respiratory system. This understanding is essential when we as clinicians meet patients reporting some of the over 200 different symptoms from nine different organ systems that have been registered as associated with long COVID. 

Long COVID is not only a challenge for the long-haulers themselves: Clinicians tasked with assessing and managing long COVID need access to high quality resources for information on how to evaluate and treat this new but suddenly very prevalent condition. Unfortunately, although efforts are underway, both research and development of clinical guidelines take time that the patients and clinicians don’t have. To try to alleviate the situation, here we have collected some links to quality resources with information on how to best handle the needs of people suffering from lingering symptoms after COVID-19 infections. 

This is a field in constant development. The site will be updated regularly as new resources become available. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have information that you think we should add here (contact form below).

RESOURCES:

The NICE guideline on long COVID: COVID-19 rapid guideline: managing the long-term effects of COVID-19

This guideline covers identifying, assessing, and managing the long-term effects of COVID-19. It makes recommendations about care in all healthcare settings for adults, children, and young people who have new or ongoing symptoms 4 weeks or more after the start of acute COVID-19. It also includes advice on organizing services for long COVID. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence, updated Nov. 2021. 

Societat Catalana de Medicina Familiar I Comunitaria Assoc. (CAMFIC) long COVID-19 Study Group: Long Covid-19: Proposed Primary Care Clinical Guidelines for Diagnosis and Disease Management (April 2021).

The main objective of these clinical practice guidelines is to identify patients with signs and symptoms of long COVID in primary care through a protocolized diagnostic process that studies possible etiologies and establishes an accurate differential diagnosis. The guidelines have been developed pragmatically by compiling early reports and studies, including the few more comprehensive studies published so far on long COVID—a wide mix of editorials and expert opinions, press releases, and the contributors’ clinical experience.

UpToDate: 
COVID-19: Evaluation and management of adults with persistent symptoms following acute illness (“Long COVID”), UpToDate is an evidence-based clinical decision support resource. 

CDC:
Interim Guidance on Evaluating and Caring for Patients with Post-COVID Conditions. Detailed interim guidance for healthcare providers. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), June 2021.

2022 ACC Expert Consensus Decision Pathway on Cardiovascular Sequelae of COVID-19 in Adults:
Myocarditis and Other Myocardial Involvement, Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection, and Return to Play: A Report of the American College of Cardiology Solution Set Oversight Committee. Evaluation of cardiovascular symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection is imperative, and this document focuses on conditions that clinicians may struggle to diagnose and manage—myocarditis and PASC—while providing guidance on return to play (RTP). Guidance based on scientific evidence and expert opinion after the ACC’s Cardiovascular Conundrums in the COVID-19 Era Roundtable, May 2021. The American College of Cardiology (ACC), 2022. 

AAPM&R Long COVID Cardiovascular Complications Guidance Statement Released:
Guidance for diagnosing and treating long COVID cardiovascular complications. The statement was developed by the The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) PASC Collaborative, a multidisciplinary group of physicians, clinicians, and patient advocates convened to address the pressing need for guidance in caring for patients with long COVID.

NATIONAL COMPREHENSIVE GUIDELINES FOR MANAGEMENT OF POST-COVID SEQUELAE.
Document to guide doctors on managing post-COVID complications affecting cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, nephrological, neurological and respiratory systems. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. 

Review:
Tripathi AK, Pinto LM. Long COVID: “And the fire rages on”. Lung India 2021;38:564-70. (Written Feb 2021) 

Post-COVID Syndrome:
Supporting family physicians as they see patients with health issues after infection with COVID-19. Information and support for the clinician. Contains links to resources including education programs with webinar and video series. From The American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation, 2022. 

E-learning resources and webinars: 

E-learning resources from the UK Royal College of General Practitioners (may need an account):
Long-term effects of COVID-19 and Post-COVID-19 syndrome’  e-learning modules for health professionals from Health Education England on long covid 

Post-COVID Syndrome – a resource from the American Academy of Family Physicians, with an accompanying webinar.

Webinar-style program to post-acute Sequelae of COVID-19 and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Collaboration from University of Colorado, University of Washington, Family Health Centers of San Diego, and Project ECHO with findings and emerging best practices. 

For physiotherapists:
Long COVID Physio is an international peer support, education and advocacy, patient-led association of physiotherapists living with long COVID and allies. The founding objective for Long COVID Physio is to provide peer support for physiotherapists, support workers, and other allied health professions (AHPs) living with long COVID. Contains information on upcoming international events on long COVID, video series, and links to information about long COVID in English, Deutsch, Español, Français, Italiano, and Nederlands.

Recent reports on research: 

The Latest on long COVID Research with Professor Akiko Iwasaki, Yale University. Body Politic, April, 2022.

CLUES TO LONG COVID. Scientific article. Science, 2022.  

Important results from the research front: Distinguishing features of Long COVID identified through immune profiling. Preprint, August 2022.