Design of Post-COVID clinics Study (DePCo Study)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Post-COVID Clinics: Understanding views of stakeholders on set-up and delivery
IRAS ID
322876
Contact name
Philip Mordue
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 10 months, 29 days
Research summary
Background
Patients suffering with long COVID have had a difficult time trying to get medical professionals to take their condition seriously following the COVID-19 pandemic. After a sustained public campaign, partly facilitated by social media, funding was allocated by government to design and implement a service to treat the condition quickly. The result was the long COVID clinics where multiple NHS professionals are gathered together in a team to diagnose and treat patients suffering from long COVID according to their specific symptoms, without needing to go to multiple clinics.
Aims of this study
Understand the experience of long COVID for patients.
Establish what patients consider successful treatment or failed treatment.
Understand the experiences of staff designing, funding and delivering long COVID services.
Map out the process of design and setup for long COVID services.Method
We will interview a diverse range of patients and staff from a perspective called phenomenology. This tries to understand and explain experiences in detail through a cooperative style of interview between interviewer and interviewee. Patients will be selected for interview with the intention of trying to represent people across a range of characteristics including: sex, socio-economic background, ethnicity, employment status and residential location. Staff will be selected with the intention of interviewing a representative number across the various job roles involved in long COVID services.
Following interviews we will transcribe and then analyse the findings to look for common themes and differences. Information from staff involved in the design and setup of the services will be used to map the process for further analysis.
Dissemination
Findings will be shared with those running, funding and organising long COVID services at individual trusts within the North East along with members of our PPI group and other interested parties.
Lay Summary -
Twenty-seven interviews were conducted with staff members providing Post-COVID syndrome services to patients across the North East and North Cumbria Region. Analysis identified two typical models of diagnosis and key resources utilised in the design and delivery of the service spanning physical, intellectual and financial elements.Major constraints upon these services belonged to three categories: i) Central Systems ii) Capacity and remit iii) Understanding the nature of the condition.
Resource availability and the interaction between some factors affecting resources would impact decision making. A combination of these resources, constraints and decisions would influence the manifestation of the service each NHS Trust would offer.
A conceptual model has been developed, illustrating interactions between themes. The model provides explanation of the processes by which NHS Trusts arrive at different conclusions and subsequently offer different designs of service. Interpretation of the conceptual model will allow improved planning for new services, potentially bypassing some of the pitfalls captured in some of the themes from these interviews.
The patient workstream did not recruit enough participants. Data from clinician interviews suggested this was as a result of reduced patient referrals and some Trusts shutting down their service completely. While this was not expected or planned, we considered this to be a finding which we subsequently explored in staff interviews.
Has the registry been updated to include summary results?: No
If yes - please enter the URL to summary results:
If no – why not?: N/A
Did you follow your dissemination plan submitted in the IRAS application form (Q A51)?: Pending
If yes, describe or provide URLs to disseminated materials:
If pending, date when dissemination is expected: 31/01/2025
If no, explain why you didn't follow it:
Have participants been informed of the results of the study?: Pending
If yes, describe and/or provide URLs to materials shared and how they were shared:
If pending, date when feedback is expected: 31/01/2025
If no, explain why they haven't:
Have you enabled sharing of study data with others?: No
If yes, describe or provide URLs to how it has been shared:
If no, explain why sharing hasn't been enabled: Study data in this case is qualitative interviews. Informed consent did not involve sharing the data outside of use in this study, use for teaching and utilising anonymous quotes in outputs from this study.
Have you enabled sharing of tissue samples and associated data with others?: No
If yes, describe or provide a URL:
If no, explain why: N/AREC name
London - Brighton & Sussex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/PR/0727
Date of REC Opinion
28 Jul 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion