@article{de Bie_Verburg_Agasi-Idenburg_Cup_Dekker_van Dongen_Geleijn_Gerards_Graff_van Heerde_Kalf_Kammerer_Kool_de Kruif_Kruizenga_van der Leeden_Lenssen_Meijer_Ostelo_Ronteltap_van der Schaaf_van Oers_de van der Schueren_Slotegraaf_Veenhof_Hoogeboom_van der Wees_2022, title={Evaluation of Allied Healthcare in Patients Recovering from Covid-19: Study Protocol and Baseline Data of s National Prospective Cohort Study}, volume={54}, url={https://medicaljournalssweden.se/jrm/article/view/2506}, DOI={10.2340/jrm.v54.2506}, abstractNote={<p><strong>Objective:</strong> 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.<br /><strong>Design:</strong> Report of the protocol and baseline characteristics for a prospective cohort study with a mixed-methods approach.<br /><strong>Patients:</strong> 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.<br /><strong>Methods:</strong> 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.<br /><strong>Results:</strong> 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.<br /><strong>Conclusion:</strong> 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.</p> <p><strong>LAY ABSTRACT</strong><br />This paper presents the protocol for a prospective study of patients recovering from COVID-19 who are treated by allied health professionals in Dutch primary care. In the forthcoming study, a total of 1,451 patients will be asked to complete questionnaires regarding their social participation in daily life, health-related quality of life, fatigue, physical functioning, and healthcare and societal costs at baseline, 3, 6, 9 (costs only) and 12 months. Furthermore, the allied health professionals will answer questions at the start and end of treatments. This report presents baseline characteristics for the study cohort. Initial findings indicate that patients in the current cohort report severe restrictions in activities of daily living compared with previous studies of other patient populations. This report also describes the protocol of the prospective study, which aims to longitudinally evaluate the recovery trajectories and related costs of patients recovering from COVID-19.</p>}, journal={Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine}, author={de Bie, Rob A. and Verburg, Arie C. and Agasi-Idenburg, Carla and Cup, Edith H.C. and Dekker, Carolien and van Dongen, Johanna M and Geleijn, Edwin and Gerards, Marissa H.G. and Graff, Maud and van Heerde, Ron and Kalf, Hanneke and Kammerer, Marly and Kool, Renée A. and de Kruif, Anja and Kruizenga, Hinke M. and van der Leeden, Marike and Lenssen, Ton A.F. and Meijer, Willemijn M. and Ostelo, Raymond and Ronteltap, Amber and van der Schaaf, Marike and van Oers, Sonja and de van der Schueren, Marian A.E. and Slotegraaf, Anne I. and Veenhof, Cindy and Hoogeboom, Thomas J. and van der Wees, Philip}, year={2022}, month={Aug.}, pages={jrm00309} }