Researchers and clinicians in Glasgow will lead a global study into the long-term health impacts of COVID-19, and are inviting hospitals and healthcare sites worldwide to join this new initiative.
The international, multisite study is launched by ISARIC to measure prevalence and risk factors of long-term health and psychosocial consequences of COVID-19. The ISARIC Global COVID-19 follow-up working group is led by Dr Janet Scott, of the MRC-University of Glasgow’s Centre for Virus Research.
The study protocol and associated patient survey has been developed by the ISARIC global COVID-19 follow-up working group, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO). The working group includes clinicians and research colleagues from Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Ghana, Italy, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, Sierra Leone, and a wide range of experts in infectious diseases, rheumatology, neurology, intensive care, oncology, public health, psychology and rehabilitation. The patient survey has been designed to assess long-term health and psychosocial consequences of COVID-19 at serial intervals for up to three to five years, depending on resources.
Dr Scott said: “It is vitally important that we are able to understand the long-term risk factors and health conditions associated with COVID-19, in order to ensure we are delivering the very best healthcare to patients in the long term. In order to do this, the assessment of risk factors for longer-term consequences requires a longitudinal study, with data on pre-existing conditions and care received during the acute phase of the COVID-19 illness all linked together.”
This collaborative, open-access study aims to characterise the frequency of and risk factors for long-term consequences from COVID-19. It will also characterise the immune response over time in patients following a diagnosis of COVID-19, and facilitate standardised and longitudinal data collection globally.
If your hospital or healthcare site wishes to participate in this study, please contact [email protected]
https://isaric.tghn.org/CCP/isaric-global-covid-19-long-term-follow-study/