Rehabilitation Research Laboratory 2rLab, Department of Business Economics, Health and Social Care, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Manno/Landquart, Switzerland.
Occup Ther Int. 2022 Apr 14;2022:4590154. doi: 10.1155/2022/4590154. eCollection 2022.
Persons with post-COVID-19 conditions have prolonged symptoms and longer-term consequences which can prevent them from returning to previous everyday functioning. Fatigue is the most frequent symptom reported in literature. Occupational therapists (OTs) are specialized in client-centered problem analysis, counseling, and education to recover occupational engagement and performance in everyday life. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, OTs have been challenged to respond with services adequate to the needs of this patient group. Energy management education (EME) was initially developed for persons with multiple sclerosis-related fatigue and then made independent of diagnosis suitable to persons living with chronic disease-related fatigue. EME, a structured self-management education, is becoming a part of the new services. This study was aimed at exploring the initial experiences of OTs using the EME protocol and materials with persons with postacute COVID-19 and/or post-COVID-19 condition-related fatigue and gathering their recommendations for improvements and adaptions. One online focus group discussion took place in May 2021 with OTs experienced in using the EME protocol. The topics addressed were the institutional context of the OTs and their experiences during the treatment. A thematic analysis was performed. According to nine OTs working in different settings in Switzerland, the EME protocol is exploitable in both in- and outpatient settings and was judged appropriate by them, even if the EME materials can be improved. The main challenges for the OTs were the short period their patients had lived with fatigue; the discrepancy between self-concept, self-perception, and performance; and the insecurity, fear, and anxiety related to recovery. Further research is needed to include the perspective of EME participants and to measure quantitative outcomes such as fatigue impact, self-efficacy, occupational performance, and quality of life. Until the existing EME protocol is improved, it is applicable to persons with post-COVID-19 condition-related fatigue.
患有新冠后(post-COVID-19)病症的人有长期的症状和长期的后果，这可能会阻止他们恢复到以前的日常功能。疲劳是文献中报道最多的症状。职业治疗师（OT）擅长以客户为中心的问题分析、咨询和教育，以恢复日常生活中的职业参与和表现。自新冠疫情开始以来，职业治疗师一直面临着提供足够满足这一患者群体需求的服务的挑战。能量管理教育（EME）最初是为多发性硬化症相关疲劳的患者开发的，后来独立于诊断，适用于患有慢性疾病相关疲劳的患者。EME 是一种结构化的自我管理教育，正在成为新服务的一部分。本研究旨在探讨职业治疗师使用 EME 协议和材料治疗急性后新冠(postacute COVID-19)和/或新冠后(post-COVID-19)病症相关疲劳的初步经验，并收集他们对改进和适应的建议。2021 年 5 月，经验丰富的职业治疗师进行了一次在线焦点小组讨论。讨论的主题是职业治疗师的机构背景及其在治疗期间的经验。采用主题分析。根据在瑞士不同环境中工作的九名职业治疗师的说法，EME 协议可在门诊和住院环境中使用，他们认为该协议是合适的，即使 EME 材料可以改进。职业治疗师面临的主要挑战是患者经历疲劳的时间短；自我概念、自我认知和表现之间的差异；以及与恢复相关的不安全感、恐惧和焦虑。需要进一步研究，包括 EME 参与者的观点，并测量疲劳影响、自我效能、职业表现和生活质量等定量结果。在现有 EME 协议得到改进之前，它适用于患有新冠后病症相关疲劳的患者。
