Gym-based rehabilitation sessions were still appropriate for patients who were at the later stages of their recovery , or for patients who had a physically demanding job . Their programme was prescribed by an occupational therapist and , as opposed to exercise for fitness , was designed to prepare them for work-related duties and feed into the therapists ’ objective assessment of capacity .
The BTE Primus is a specialist piece of equipment that continued to be an essential part of the rehabilitation process ; both for assessment and treatment . It allows therapists to simulate workrelated tasks and provide quantifiable data to employers that reflect functional capacity .
It became invaluable in identifying fluctuations in functional ability , but also to differentiate between true reduced power and the symptoms of fatigue .
Occupational therapists developed close working relationships with a wider network of healthcare professionals . For example , more efficient referral pathways were set up with our local Improving Access to Psychological Therapies ( IAPT ) provider and community respiratory nurses .
Group Rehab therapists also brought together therapists from relevant specialties to present at the virtual sessions ; for many patients these were sufficient and further specialist intervention was unnecessary .
The growing number of staff referrals led to the development of four videos that were published on the trust ’ s internal website .
Many patients reported having attempted a return to work shortly after infection , which in some cases led to a significant setback in recovery , as well as a second period of sickness absence .
The videos aimed to raise awareness of persisting COVID-19 symptoms and advise managers on how to plan a safe and sustainable return to work .
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Group Rehab ’ s specialist occupational therapist also worked closely with our NHS trusts ’ occupational health department to develop more efficient referral pathways . This allowed staff to self-refer and be seen within weeks .
A senior occupational therapist conducted an evaluation of the service offered to patients with persisting symptoms of Coronavirus between 1 October 2020 and 31 July 2021 .
Data collection took place in January 2022 , and was retrieved from electronic patient notes , Lorenzo ( the department ’ s booking system ) and through an anonymous patient survey ; 106 patients met the inclusion criteria and we received 42 survey responses .
The project was also reviewed by the trust ’ s information governance team .
The department has a key performance indicator of six weeks from receipt of referral to assessment ; all our patients were seen within six weeks , with 94 % of those within four weeks .
The Health and Safety Executive ( 2021 ) recommends that people with Long Covid are seen by healthcare professionals for work-related support as soon as possible , aiming to improve work and health related outcomes .
In this evaluation period , 75 % of our patients were assessed within four months of experiencing Coronavirus symptoms , and 82 % were seen within six months .
During the evaluation period , imposed COVID-19 restrictions only allowed for face-toface appointments when clinically necessary :
• 58 % of patients required at least one face-toface appointment and 44 % attended for gymbased rehabilitation sessions .
• 48 % were assessed or treated on the BTE Primus .
• Introduction of the virtual sessions allowed for remote condition management and were attended by 42 % of patients .
• On average , patients attended 11 group sessions .
• 98 % of survey respondents felt that they received the most appropriate method of care , for them , at that time .
One person commented : ‘ The right care was provided at the right stage of my recovery . For example , when I was unable to drive , I was offered a telephone appointment .’
Our feedback showed that 45 % of patients required at least one form of correspondence with their employer . This included letters of recommendations , workplace assessments or AHP Health and Work Reports for sickness absence certification .
38 OTnews July 2022