ASAP - Assisted Immediate Augmented Post-/Long-COVID Plan

The goal is the long-term and sustainable holistic treatment and support of patients with post-/long-COVID to prevent long-term illness and chronification. Following the earliest possible, low-threshold identification of post-/long-COVID sufferers, an intensive multidisciplinary assessment is conducted, resulting in holistic treatment planning based on the results of the assessment. This consists of recommendations for a coordinated, interdisciplinary therapy plan. At the same time, digital therapy offers are recommended and made available to patients. Patients are accompanied by a supporting counselor (personal pilot) who guides them through the entire care process. This closes the gap between acute care of COVID-19 and outpatient therapy or rehabilitation of post-/long-COVID.

To identify patients with post-/long-COVID symptoms, a low-threshold scientifically based online-screening that confirms the presence of post-/long-COVID syndrome and an three day inpatient assessment that determines the need for further treatment will be developed, validated and prepared for standard care. Long-term goals are the dissemination of the validated instruments to diagnose post-long-COVID and treatment approaches (interdisciplinary, individualized treatment plan) through communication to key stakeholders such as medical associations, health insurance companies, service providers in the outpatient and inpatient sector, as well as professional societies and care institutions. This is intended to improve patient care and make care delivery of treatments for post-/long-COVID patients more efficient beyond the project duration.

Standard care currently diagnoses post-/long-COVID and provides recommendations for treatment through primary care practices and specialized post-COVID outpatient clinics. Both access routes inadequately reach those affected especially in rural areas. Long-/post-COVID outpatient clinics are primarily located in metropolitan areas and are therefore mainly available to the population in large cities. In particular, young affected individuals who have had little to no prior outpatient care due to a very mild course do not have primary care and often do not have the knowledge of the specific post-/long-COVID symptomatology and potentially seek insufficient and delayed medical support. This may result in aggravation and possibly chronification of symptoms and consequent long-term disability/ incapacity with limited participation. This in turn can have a negative impact on the continuation or resumption of work and lead to economic burdens for the whole society.

The contents of the present project include, as an innovative basis outside the existing standard care, the low-threshold identification of affected persons, an intensive interdisciplinary assessment resulting in a comprehensive, interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral treatment plan, the implementation of which is controlled and accompanied by a personal supporting counselor and augmented by continuously available training in the form of digital offers.

The following research questions and hypotheses will be investigated with this project and subsequently communicated to the various stakeholders and the general public: