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LOCOMOTION January 2024 Newsletter

Date

LOCOMOTION Public Webinars

LOCOMOTION is hosting a series of free public webinars in 2024! We'll be sharing our study findings and giving people the opportunity to ask questions about the research! The first webinar has been scheduled and the details are below.

Title: Assessments in a Long COVID Clinic

Date and Time: Tuesday 20th February 2024 at 13:00-14:00 GMT.

Presentations:

Both presentations will also include input from Patient Advisory Group (PAG) members who have been involved in conducting the research.

The webinar will be chaired by Prof Manoj Sivan (LOCOMOTION Co-Chief Investigator) and Dr Clare Rayner (PAG Co-Lead), who will host the question and answer sessions following each presentation.

It will be open to anyone interested in hearing about our study's findings. Whether you are a healthcare professional, a manager in a Long COVID service, a person with Long COVID, a friend or family member of someone with Long COVID, or if you just have an interest in Long COVID, you are all welcome to join!

Click here to register

 

The webinars will be recorded and these recordings will also be made publicly available, on this website, following each event.

LOCOMOTION Publications

Impact of Long COVID on productivity and informal caregiving

New LOCOMOTION publication in The European Journal of Health Economics - 'Impact of Long COVID on productivity and informal caregiving' (click here to view it).

This publication analysed data from multiple patient questionnaires including a health economics questionnaire measuring productivity impacts, informal care receipt, and service utilisation. From this, the researchers calculated the aggregate values of productivity loss and informal caregiving since incident infection and extrapolated this nationally. Finding that Long COVID significantly impacts productivity losses and provision of informal care, which is exacerbated by high national prevalence of the condition.

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Cognitive dysfunction after covid-19

New BMJ Practice Pointer - Cognitive dysfunction after covid-19 (click here to view it) - published as an output of the LOCOMOTION study.

This article outlines what cognitive dysfunction encompasses, it explores the impact of cognitive dysfunction symptoms, and offers a practical guide for GPs to help them approach cognitive dysfunction in individuals with Long COVID, by answering questions asked by patients:

  • Why did I develop cognitive problems?
  • What is causing my cognitive problems?
  • What tests do I need for my cognitive function?
  • How do people manage their cognitive problems?
  • What can my primary care team do for my cognitive symptoms?
  • Will my cognitive problems get better, and what can be done if they don’t?

The practice pointer also provides accounts from Long COVID patients of cognitive dysfunction and its impact, and provides links to resources for patients and professionals.

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Psychometric analysis of the C19-YRSm in a prospective multicentre study

New pre-print publication from our study - 'Psychometric analysis of the modified Covid-19 Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale (C19-YRSm) in a prospective multicentre study' (click here to view it).

Using data collected in the LOCOMOTION study on the C19-YRS app, researchers:

  • Derived scale characteristics for the C19-YRSm subscales and internal consistency.
  • Assessed convergent validity using the FACIT-Fatigue scale.
  • Evaluated responsiveness and test-retest reliability for C19-YRSm subscales and EQ-5D-5L.
  • Estimated minimal important difference (MID) and minimal clinically important difference (MCID) values.

With the conclusion of the publication being that the C19-YRSm is a condition-specific, reliable, valid, and responsive patient-reported outcome measure for Long COVID.

Pre-prints are scientific articles that have not yet been peer reviewed, but have been shared while under review for publication, to accelerate the scientific process and make (non-reviewed) outputs available to the scientific community quicker.

Other Long COVID Publications

Tech assisted breathing exercises relieve Long COVID symptoms

Multiple members of the LOCOMOTION team, Stephen Halpin (Leeds PI), Rory O'Connor (Workstream 1.4 Lead), Alex Casson (Chair of the communications group), and Manoj Sivan (Co-Chief Investigator), are authors of a new Long COVID publication - HEART Rate Variability Biofeedback for LOng COVID Dysautonomia (HEARTLOC): Results of a Feasibility Study.

The findings of the study were that simple breathing exercises done twice daily while using a mobile phone app can help relieve the symptoms of Long COVID. Resonant breathing, which consists of a four second inhale and six second exhale through the nose repeated for 10 minutes, significantly improved symptoms among the 13 Long COVID patients in the study.

Read a University of Leeds article about the study.

LOCOMOTION Team

Manoj Sivan promoted to full Chair (Clinical Professor) at Leeds

Congratulations to Manoj Sivan (LOCOMOTION Co-Chief Investigator) on his promotion to full chair (Clinical Professor) at Leeds!

This would not have been possible without LOCOMOTION and all the impactful work we have done over the last 3 years in Long COVID. This small personal milestone is dedicated to all my colleagues and patients - Prof Manoj Sivan

New role for LOCOMOTION Research Administrator

Madeline Goodwin (LOCOMOTION Research Administrator) is starting a new role as a Data Manager at the Academic Unit for Ageing and Stroke Research at the Bradford Institute for Health Research. The LOCOMOTION team thanks Madeline for all her fantastic work supporting the study.

New role for Leeds NHS site's Clinical Research Fellow

Amy Parkin has started a new occupational therapy (OT) role - setting up a new OT service within Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Occupational Health. We are lucky to still have Amy committing two days each week to LOCOMOTION, in which she primarily continue writing publications based on her research of vocational rehabilitation in Long COVID. In her new role, Amy is working with clinical employees who have Long COVID and are hoping to return to work after 2-3 years away. Presenting a great opportunity to put the LOCOMOTION Vocational Rehabilitation Roadmap into practice!