Core outcome measurement instruments for use in clinical and research settings for adults with post-COVID-19 condition: an international Delphi consensus study (2 November 2023)

Summary

A NIHR-funded study has reached an agreement amongst researchers and patients on how best to measure improvement in Long Covid.

Researchers have identified a Core Outcome Measure Set (COMS). This is designed to help researchers and clinicians measure the severity and impact of Long COVID. COMS specify key things that should be measured in all patients. This improves how data can be compared and summarised. Researchers say this will speed up the development of treatments for Long Covid. 

Content

The research is published in Lancet Respiratory Medicine. It was co-led by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London and in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO). The research included close collaboration with Long Covid patients and organisations.

Symptoms that persist or develop after Covid-19 are known as Long Covid. They are also described by other names such as post Covid-19 condition, post acute sequelae of Covid-19 (PASC) or post-Covid syndrome. Common symptoms include:

• fatigue
• shortness of breath
• pain
• exercise intolerance
• cognitive dysfunction (brain fog).

But, patients can experience a wide range of other symptoms across all bodily systems. This makes it hard to identify the key symptoms and decide how to measure them. The COMS agreed in this study will help solve this challenge.