KU Leuven researchers create new guideline about the treatment of persistent COVID complaints

Commissioned by the FPS Public Health, researchers from KU Leuven, in collaboration with various experts and interest groups, drew up the first guideline for the follow-up and rehabilitation of patients with persistent complaints after a COVID-19 infection. This guideline offers doctors and healthcare providers a clear framework and should ensure that patients can be helped better, more targeted and based on scientific research.

The corona crisis placed an unprecedented burden on the shoulders of healthcare providers in our country. They were inundated with questions, but initially there were hardly any good scientific studies and treatment methods to fall back on. This led to varying practices based on various procedures and recommendations from all kinds of authorities.

All too often, patients encounter incomprehension or care providers who themselves do not know how to approach it. That slows down the healing process. We hope that the guidelines are part of the solution.

Ann Li, post-COVID community

“Even now, patients with persistent COVID complaints are still being referred from specialist to specialist, resulting in unnecessary examinations and high costs – both for the patient and society,” said researcher Hannelore Dillen of KU Leuven. Therefore, a validated and multidisciplinary guideline was drawn up that offers healthcare providers clear tools so that they can treat patients with persistent complaints. The guideline was drawn up on the basis of various scientific studies and with input from experts, where research is not yet available.

Streamlined treatment method
Belgium has about 4.6 million confirmed COVID-19 cases. Up to 62 percent of patients can still experience symptoms four weeks after the infection, ranging from fatigue to shortness of breath to mental problems. “It is the task of healthcare providers to provide proper guidance to patients. Not only during the first acute phase of COVID-19, but also when complaints persist. The problem is that guidelines were missing and healthcare providers therefore did not know how best to assist their patients,” says Meike Horn of FPS Public Health. “The result is unnecessary investigations, high invoices and frustrations that ultimately do not help anyone. So we decided within the Evikey Network (the former EBP network) to launch this project to develop an evidence-based guideline.

Evidence based approach
“By comparing all relevant scientific studies and – where studies were lacking – supplemented by the expertise of a wide range of expert healthcare providers, we were able to draw up an evidence-based treatment method that offers handles for all healthcare providers. Because symptoms are so diverse, a multidisciplinary approach is necessary to help patients. For example, it is clearly listed which examinations are useful, which physical parameters must be taken into account, which and when specialists must be involved, and so on. In addition, the guideline also offers sufficient scope for self-management by the patient. Every patient is different and complex conditions such as COVID-19 require a personalized approach in which the patient plays an important role.”

“All too often patients encounter misunderstanding or care providers who do not know how to approach it. That slows down the healing process. We hope the guidelines are part of the solution,” concludes Ann Li of the post-COVID community.