Background and goal: "Long COVID" is the continuation or development of new symptoms three months after initial SARS-CoV-2 infection. For many patients with long COVID, primary care is the first point of interaction with the health care system. This study aimed to examine the expectations and experiences of primary care patients seeking treatment for long COVID.
Study approach: Researchers conducted 20 semistructured interviews between 2022 and 2023 with primary care patients from a long COVID triage clinic at the University of Utah. Using a phenomenological framework, the interviews focused on understanding and describing participants' lived experiences and perceptions through open-ended, flexible questioning. The interviews were analyzed using inductive qualitative content analysis, a method that identifies themes and patterns in the data.
Main results: Related Stories Stress workshop in UK schools significantly improves mental health of teenagers Exploring Japanese medicine: Longevity, lifestyle, and emerging health priorities COVID-19 leads to long-term changes in the immune system, study shows 19 interviews were analyzed. Participants averaged 54 years old, and 53% were female. Most participants were infected with COVID-19 for the first time in 2020 (32%) or 2021 (47%).
Patient expectations: Patients expected their primary care practitioners to be knowledgeable about post-COVID conditions, attentive to their individual condition, and to engage in collaborative processes .
