Article Impact Level: HIGH Data Quality: STRONG Summary of Journal of General Internal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-024-09062-5 Dr. Sarah R. MacEwan et al.
Points
- Long COVID significantly reduced participants’ ability to work at pre-COVID levels, with some struggling to balance work and healthcare needs.
- Participants faced financial challenges due to income loss, insurance changes, high healthcare costs, and emotional impacts like loss of self-identity and fear of workplace judgment.
- Many sought workplace accommodations, disability benefits, and healthcare support, but access to practical solutions was often limited.
- Healthcare providers should connect Long COVID patients to financial aid and mental health resources and expedite workplace accommodation processes.
- The study emphasizes the need for holistic and multidisciplinary approaches to address Long COVID’s financial, emotional, and employment-related challenges.
Summary
A qualitative study explored the experiences of Long COVID patients facing employment challenges and its impact on their well-being. The study aimed to understand how Long COVID affects work capacity and overall quality of life among patients seeking post-COVID recovery care. Participants were 21 adults (mean age: 43 years) who had been experiencing significant impacts of COVID-19 on their daily lives for three or more months after the acute infection. All participants had previously reported functioning well in their daily life before contracting COVID-19.
The study found that most participants could not work at a capacity comparable to their pre-COVID abilities. For those who continued working, the energy and effort required left little capacity for other life activities, making attending healthcare appointments challenging. Employment changes led to financial strain, with participants citing income loss, insurance coverage changes, and high healthcare costs. Emotionally, participants experienced feelings of loss of self-identity and fear of judgment from coworkers. In terms of coping strategies, many sought help from healthcare providers to manage Long COVID symptoms at work, pursued disability benefits, and requested workplace accommodations. However, access to effective strategies was a recurring challenge.
The findings highlight the need for healthcare providers to offer holistic support to patients with long-term COVID-19. Recommendations include connecting patients to financial assistance resources, facilitating access to mental health treatment, and helping expedite workplace accommodation requests. Addressing these issues could improve patients’ financial and emotional well-being, enabling them to better manage the long-term effects of COVID-19 on their employment and daily lives. This study underscores the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to managing long-term COVID-19 beyond physical health care.
Link to the article: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11606-024-09062-5
References MacEwan, S. R., Rahurkar, S., Tarver, W. L., Eiterman, L. P., Melnyk, H., Olvera, R. G., Eramo, J. L., Teuschler, L., Gaughan, A. A., Rush, L. J., Stanwick, S., Burpee, S. B., McConnell, E., Schamess, A., & McAlearney, A. S. (2024). The impact of long covid on employment and well-being: A qualitative study of patient perspectives. Journal of General Internal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-024-09062-5
