Patients’ experiences of long-covid neuropsychological symptoms in Catalonia: A phenomenological study

Abstract

The objective was to describe the experiences of people living with neuropsychological symptomatology associated with long-covid, as well as identifying the barriers they encounter in their daily lives and the strategies they develop to deal with them. This is a descriptive qualitative study following an interpretative phenomenological perspective wich was held in Primary Care cin the Northern Metropolitan Area of Barcelona and the Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital (Badalona, Spain). A total of 34 adults with any persistent neuropsychological symptoms of covid-19 (>12 weeks since disease onset) participated. In-depth individual interviews were conducted following a script of open-ended questions to elicit their narratives around the research objective. A total of 3 clusters detailing the life impact of long-covid and its neuropsychological symptomatology were identified: long-covid as life-breaking and life-changing; coping strategies; and (ac)knowledge (of) the emerging subjectivity. From the participants’ accounts and the existing literature emerges the relevance of critically integrating lessons learned from analogous syndromes such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, as well as involving patients in the design and implementation (even at the consultation level) of clinical practices that raise awareness of these neuropsychological sequelae (psychoeducation) both to other patients and to caregivers and professionals. This would facilitate a greater and better specialised psychological approach and reduce the stigma that still accompanies the condition..