I have worked as a contact tracer for the last 9 months and I have had many conversations with Covid patients. My role as contact tracer may be coming to an end soon, but it has left me wondering whether there may be an emerging role for OTs with Long Covid patients? Does anybody know more?
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@Anke Plummer, @Tristan Hulbert and others following Anke's Forum... Just FYI - there is another (broader) Therapy Forum discussion here on the Hub, titled 'Occupational Therapy and Coronavirus'. If interested in the wider theme, take a look!
Thank you for sharing your Webinar with our Members @Tristan! This is very informative and it's great to have both an OT and PT as part of your presentation. Re uploading slides - did you click the logo below (3rd from left at bottom of comments box, with upward arrow)? As you say, anyone interested can email you directly if not. Welcome to the Hub!
Hello all, I mentioned a webinar with over 400 attendees we had on this topic last week on LinkedIn, and someone suggested I shared it on this discussion on the OT Hub, so here goes, my first post!
The webinar recording is available at https://youtu.be/L8OP_SO-v7U
It doesn't seem to let me upload the slides to this post, so if anyone wants them I have them in PDF format, just give me a shout via linkedin or at tristan.hulbert@yorkshirecare.com
I hope this is useful to everyone, if anyone wants to discuss anything further then please give me a shout!
Many thanks
Tristan
P.S. I'm always glad to receive new connection requests from OTs on LinkedIn! 😁https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristanmhulbert/
Hi @Anke Plummer I'm part of a small
OH OT team working with people with Long COVID (more than 3 months post onset). We’ve been providing this support since summer 2020. We used a range of OT & work outcome measures eg COPM, fatigue severity scale etc. People received 4-6 sessions (initial, WSV as needed & virtual f/u sessions). OTs focused on fatigue management, sleep, adaptive equipment in the workplace, carefully phased return to work plans, using coaching style conversations to support patients to set their own functional goals/aims Eg graded activity. (and much more).
Our review of the OMs & clinical reflection on the work indicates that patients’ health matrices are improving & most have retuned to work & stayed at work. Some interesting learning points for us were; the need for patients’ acceptance of the Long COVID & readiness for change and generally a slower paced rehab approach. Ensuring GP/medical involvement (there are some tricky red flag respiratory, neuro & cardiac issues), collaborative MDT working (psychology was helpful for our patients) and collaborative OT working (it’s such an emerging area that we need to share ideas & support each other to ensure the best for patient). Many OTs are doing work just like us throughout the country.
I imagine opportunities will arise in the coming months in the Long COVID Ax/Rehab services that are currently being established. To find one in your local area scroll to the end of this weblink: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/post-covid-syndrome-long-covid/ There is a Long COVID MDT Peer networking events, the next one is 5th April at 6pm with Clare from @Wellbeing_B & @simplypeople_ it’s free to attend and you can register for them via: https://lnkd.in/egkzcz9
There is also brilliant formal OT Long COVID research project that @iFRESHPhD is involved in. Here is the link for the survey phase of the project, in the coming months it will include a formal trial of OT Long COVID rehab (with a control group) if you’re interested: https://cdss.nottingham.ac.uk/redcap/surveys/?s=JH48LFC8YJ
I hope some of that is helpful. It’s such an exciting opportunity and so great to be working together as OTs in this area.
Hi @Veronica Swainson That sounds interesting. Unfortunately I am not a member of the RCOT at the moment, so I can't read the article. 😳 I'd be interested to hear more though.
Hi @Anke Plummer yes it’s an exciting emerging OT role. There‘s a growing group of OTs involved in Long COVID rehab + supporting return to work. You can read more about our KCH & Liverpool journeys in the latest OTNews: rcot.co.uk/news/otnews. It would be lovely to share ideas with anyone interested in more information.
@Hub Team , of course you can. I am brand new to The Occupational Therapy Hub, so I'm still working out how things work around here. 😃
Thanks for your message @Anke Plummer! Can we share this forum through our social channels, to bring it to the attention of more Members? @Bill Knight do you have any thoughts on this?