How do long COVID patients perceive their current life situation and occupational perspective? ... 2023 Schmachtenberg et al

Introduction: Many people experience persistent or new-onset symptoms such as fatigue or cognitive problems after an acute infection with COVID-19. This phenomenon, known as long COVID, impacts physical and mental wellbeing, and may affect perceived quality of life and occupational perspectives likewise. The aim of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of how people with long COVID experience health-related restrictions in their daily life and their occupational situation, and to identify key challenges they face.

Methods: Guided qualitative interviews were conducted with 25 people with long COVID. The interviews were transcribed according to Dresing/Pehl and Kuckartz and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Afterward, a systematic comparison of the data and a reflection under consideration of lifeworld-theoretical approaches (Berger and Luckmann) were carried out.

Results: The interviews revealed that many participants have severe symptoms which strongly impair them in perform daily and work-related activities, and in their personal interests. Many interviewees already reach their stress limit during routine household activities or childcare. Of the 25 participants, 19 experienced limitations in pursuing leisure activities, and 10 of the 23 interviewees with jobs reported being on sick leave for several months. Several respondents who had vocational reintegration are still affected by ongoing symptoms that affect their work performance considerably. This leads to uncertainty, role conflicts, a decline in social contacts, and decreased incomes, which contribute to an impairment in their quality of life.

Conclusions: This study shows the huge need for specific support for people with long COVID in different areas of life. To prevent people with long COVID from finding themselves in social and economic precarity, decision-makers should develop strategies to systematically support them in their sustainable reintegration into the workforce. The focus should be on creating long COVID-sensitive workplaces, compensating for decreased incomes, and improving access to relief services such as vocational reintegration. We argue, that a shift of perspectives is necessary and that long COVID should be considered rather as a “social disease” with considerably impairments in the social life of those affected.

Open access, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1155193/full

 

I guess they probably would. Those diseases can also affect every social aspect of people's lives (career, education, family, recreation, etc), but also in the more limited sense of social: relationships, friendships, hobbies, sport, informal learning, arts and crafts, volunteering, practising a faith.

As long as it isn't being trivialised or twisted, I welcome more focus on the social aspects of disability. Of course there are higher priorities—adequate housing, income, home care, etc—but once those are in place, people with long-term illness should also be able to have lives. For some folk the loss of a hard won career is one of the most grieved-over aspects, but for others, it's the loss of so many things outside of work that used to bring joy, fulfilment, and resilience. It rarely seems to feature in debates about benefit levels, housing, transportation, and so on, but it's arguably as big a public health issue as diet.

 

Everything they suggest is more expensive than doing a large research effort and doesn't even address any of the actual issues. If the role of medicine is simply to get working age adults to work as much as possible, even that doesn't even make sense since this is obviously treatable.

Time and time again I see just how universal the lack of ambition is in the profession. It's assumed that there's no point trying to actually solve anything since it's too hard and too long and too expensive.

There's a sense of deflation and hopelessness about it all. They will infinitely believe in the magical healing powers of their mere presence, but can't even imagine doing a large collaborative effort to accomplish anything.

The profession has given up. Let us do it. We will do this since you won't even try anymore.

 

It never stopped the computer people.