FHS researchers seek to improve Long COVID education in urgent, emergent care settings in BC
by Sharon Mah
A team of researchers based at the Faculty of Health Sciences will develop resources to inform improved emergent and urgent care for people with Long COVID thanks to a grant from the David and Dorothy Lam Foundation.
Data from Statistics Canada found that 11.7 per cent of Canadians infected with SARS-CoV-2, or 3.5 million people, have experienced COVID symptoms that persisted for longer than three months, with 2.1 million people experiencing ongoing symptoms. These numbers are concerning as repeated COVID-19 infections increase the risk of serious illness in the population such as Alzheimer鈥檚/dementia risk, cardiac event, immune system dysregulation, and neurovascular disorders. Additionally, despite the growing prevalence of Long COVID, there are few sustainably funded clinics or services to support People with Long COVID (PwLC). Consequently, PwLC often ended up in emergency departments (EDs) and urgent primary care clinics (UPCCs) which are often ill-prepared to meet their needs.
The research team, led by FHS Adjunct Professor Julia Smith and FHS Research Fellow Kayli Jamieson, intend to take a first step towards addressing these challenges by developing resources for PwLC and health care providers that can deployed in a sustainable and supportive way. 鈥淲e are taking a Knowledge Mobilization (KM)-informed quality improvement approach, drawing on evidence-based Long COVID guidance as well as patient-informed insights to co-develop practical resources within ED and UPCC workflows,鈥� notes Jamieson, who is living with Long COVID. Smith adds: 鈥淭o our knowledge, there are currently no formal resources or pathways in place for staff in EDs/UPCCs to gain medical education on safely managing and recognizing Long COVID.鈥�
Additional members of the research team include: Dr. Kaylee Byers, UBC assistant professor and FHS adjunct professor; Dr. Lindsay Hedden, FHS associate professor, and Dr. Rackeb Tesfaye, FHS knowledge mobilization lead and research associate. This team has with PwLC on patient-led research that advanced understanding of Long COVID health impacts on individuals, their caregivers, and their communities.
Smith and Jamieson鈥檚 research team will be partnering with an advisory committee of PwLC to seek and build new relationships and deepen existing collaborations with groups such as with the Post-COVID-19 Interdisciplinary Clinical Care Network (PC-ICCN) that operates PHSA鈥檚 Post-COVID Recovery clinic and related research activities. Building off their existing , the team will co-develop targeted resources for PwLC, healthcare staff, and those who do not yet self-identify as PwLC.
The work for this project is anticipated to take approximately a year, with resource guides and animated videos for medical education to be disseminated during Fall 2026 within Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health regions. The team hopes that these educational supports 鈥渨ill form the basis for ongoing work that will sustainably improve outcomes for providers and patients alike.鈥�
This research is being generously supported by a grant from the David and Dorothy Lam Foundation, which seeks to foster flourishing communities in a healthy and thriving world for today and generations to come.