Transitional Care Helps COVID-19 Long Haulers Get Back on Their Feet
January 4, 2022
Only 6% of COVID-19 patients at USF/Tampa General Hospital’s Transitional Care Clinic are long haulers, compared to 25% nationally. Providers attribute the difference to their transitional care program.
When reports of patients experiencing long-term symptoms started to circulate in the medical community, Asa Oxner, MD, a clinician at USF/Tampa General Hospital’s Transitional Care Clinic for COVID-19, wanted to understand how many of the clinic’s discharged patients were affected and help connect them with treatment.
To reach patients efficiently, she and her colleagues built on existing follow-up processes and developed a treatment approach that focused on alleviating symptoms affecting patients’ ability to carry out daily activities. Even when the research on long hauler syndrome was still preliminary, they were able to improve quality of life for the majority of patients experiencing long-term COVID-19. Their success highlights the value of transitional care as one way to maintain contact with patients while the understanding of a condition is evolving and to ensure affected patients have the resources they need.
How They Did It:
Maintained close contact with patients during their recovery from COVID-19
Used a scored questionnaire as part of standard COVID-19 care follow-up
Developed treatment plans encompassing both internal medicine and psychiatry
