1.   What article did we discuss?

We reviewed and discussed an article reporting on a case series of clients attending a Long Covid outpatient clinic based in the USA. It outlined client characteristics and the types of interventions they were receiving within a multidisciplinary clinic.  

2.   What ‘Research Fundamental’ tip was covered in this session?

We introduced a nice easy one to start with – an outline of what descriptive statistics are, and what things like a ‘standard deviation’ represents in a data set.  

3.   What were the key points from the article critique?

We used the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Case Series. There were some gaps in the research methodology, but the data collection methods used, and basic description and analysis, was enough to give us ideas about what symptoms and functional difficulties clients may present with and possible approaches to treatment.  

4.   What were some of the key take home messages from the discussion?

The evidence for the best approach to managing Long Covid from an OT perspective is still emerging. For now, our approach is based on best-practice from the management of similar diagnoses, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, concussion management, and return to work approaches. OTs should be considering interventions such as sleep hygiene and energy conservation education, equipment prescription, and referrals to other allied health within a multidisciplinary team approach.  

5.   How are OTs going to use what they learnt in this session?

Some OTs were planning to develop their own semi-structured interview or checklist based on the evidence in the article, that they could use to be more structured in their approach when asking clients about their Long Covid symptoms and functional difficulties. Other OTs planned to look further for any updated research studies comparing specific OT approaches to managing Long Covid. There was also a suggestion that these ideas could be a great student project if it looks like Long Covid is going to become a common diagnosis within your caseload.