TY - JOUR
T1 - Long COVID among healthcare workers
T2 - a narrative review of definitions, prevalence, symptoms, risk factors and impacts
AU - Dempsey, Brendan
AU - Madan, Ira
AU - Stevelink, Sharon A.M.
AU - Lamb, Danielle
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2024/9/1
Y1 - 2024/9/1
N2 - Introduction. Long COVID (LC) occurs when people experience symptoms for weeks, months or even years after a COVID-19 infection. This review looks at research exploring the LC definitions, prevalence, symptoms, risk factors, and associated impacts in research on healthcare workers (HCWs). Data sources. We systematically searched five electronic databases (CINAHL, EMBASE, Medline, PsycInfo and PubMed) and compiled a narrative literature review based on 56 relevant studies. Areas of agreement. LC is prevalent among HCWs who become infected by COVID-19. Many of the most frequent symptoms associated with LC in the general population are also reported among HCWs. Some risk factors for LC are also similar to those in the general population, such as female sex, older age, and having a pre-existing respiratory illness. Areas of controversy. The mechanism(s) responsible for LC remains unknown. A variety of terms, timeframes and symptoms are used to define LC, creating difficulties in comparing results across studies. Much of the research is cross-sectional and fails to explore the impacts that prolonged symptoms have on HCWs’ personal and professional lives. Growing points. The need to support HCWs with LC is clear. Identifying the mechanism(s) responsible for LC is a key priority, as this will inform treatments. Areas for developing research. Future research should move towards a standard definition for LC. Greater attention should be paid to longitudinal and qualitative studies, which could give insights into prognosis, lived experience and work participation. Finally, studies evaluating treatments suitable for people with LC are timely.
AB - Introduction. Long COVID (LC) occurs when people experience symptoms for weeks, months or even years after a COVID-19 infection. This review looks at research exploring the LC definitions, prevalence, symptoms, risk factors, and associated impacts in research on healthcare workers (HCWs). Data sources. We systematically searched five electronic databases (CINAHL, EMBASE, Medline, PsycInfo and PubMed) and compiled a narrative literature review based on 56 relevant studies. Areas of agreement. LC is prevalent among HCWs who become infected by COVID-19. Many of the most frequent symptoms associated with LC in the general population are also reported among HCWs. Some risk factors for LC are also similar to those in the general population, such as female sex, older age, and having a pre-existing respiratory illness. Areas of controversy. The mechanism(s) responsible for LC remains unknown. A variety of terms, timeframes and symptoms are used to define LC, creating difficulties in comparing results across studies. Much of the research is cross-sectional and fails to explore the impacts that prolonged symptoms have on HCWs’ personal and professional lives. Growing points. The need to support HCWs with LC is clear. Identifying the mechanism(s) responsible for LC is a key priority, as this will inform treatments. Areas for developing research. Future research should move towards a standard definition for LC. Greater attention should be paid to longitudinal and qualitative studies, which could give insights into prognosis, lived experience and work participation. Finally, studies evaluating treatments suitable for people with LC are timely.
KW - healthcare staff
KW - healthcare workers
KW - long COVID
KW - ongoing symptomatic COVID
KW - post-COVID-19 condition
KW - post-COVID-19 syndrome
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85205334517&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/bmb/ldae008
DO - 10.1093/bmb/ldae008
M3 - Review article
C2 - 39183058
AN - SCOPUS:85205334517
SN - 0007-1420
VL - 151
SP - 16
EP - 35
JO - British medical bulletin
JF - British medical bulletin
IS - 1
ER -