Objective: To report the study protocol and baseline
characteristics of a prospective cohort study to evaluate
longitudinal recovery trajectories of patients
recovering from COVID-19 who have visited a primary
care allied health professional.
Design: Report of the protocol and baseline characteristics
for a prospective cohort study with a mixed-methods
approach.
Patients: Patients recovering from COVID-19 treated
by primary care dietitians, exercise therapists,
occupational therapists, physical therapists and/or
speech and language therapists in the Netherlands.
Methods: The prospective study will measure primary
outcome domains: participation, health-related
quality
of life, fatigue, physical functioning, and costs, at baseline,
3, 6, 9 and 12 months. Interviews, on the patients’
experiences with allied healthcare, will be held with a
subsample of patients and allied health professionals.
Results: The cohort comprises 1,451 patients (57%
female, mean age 49 (standard deviation 13) years).
Preliminary results for the study cohort show that 974
(67%) of the participants reported mild/moderate
severity symptoms during the infection period and
patients reported severe restrictions in activities of
daily living compared with previous research in other
patient populations. Both quantitative and qualitative,
will provide insight into the recovery of patients who
are treated by allied health professionals.
Conclusion: In conclusion, this will be the first comprehensive
study to longitudinally evaluate the recovery trajectories and related costs of patients
recovering from COVID-19 who are treated by allied
health professionals in the Netherlands. This study
will provide evidence for the optimal strategy to treat
patients recovering from COVID-19 infection, including
which patients benefit, and to what extent, from
treatment, and which factors might impact their recovery
course over time. The preliminary results of this
study demonstrated the severity of restrictions and
complaints at the start of therapy are substantial.
