Mr Michael Wai1, Mr Vincent Cram1
1RPA Virtual Hospital, Sydney, Australia
Biography:
Michael and Vince are clinical psychologists from RPA Virtual Hospital. Amongst other duties, they worked extensively with the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Long COVID Clinic and the Royal North Shore Hospital Long COVID Service. Following the closure of these clinics, they spearheaded efforts to initiate the RPA Virtual Long COVID clinic having developed a passion to ensure adequate support for this vulnerable and isolated population. Beyond their desire to provide effective, evidenced based care, they also want to ensure greater accessibility of long COVID support to all Australians, including rural and regional communities.
Abstract:
Long COVID (LC) is a complex, multisystem condition affecting millions globally, with symptoms such as fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, and autonomic disturbances significantly impairing Quality of Life (QOL). Recent modelling estimated between 172,530 and 872,799 Australians are experiencing LC (Costantino et al., 2024), and the 2023 parliamentary report on LC has recommended funding of public hospitals to develop multidisciplinary clinics to ensure adequate support for this vulnerable population. Despite this, many long COVID clinics in Australia have closed due to lack of funding, further exacerbating service gaps.
In response, the RPA Virtual Hospital launched a LC management program in January 2024, designed to provide evidence-based, multidisciplinary care in a virtual group setting. The program aimed to address patients' feelings of isolation, invalidation, and lack of community understanding whilst providing education and self-management strategies aimed at improving QOL.
The eight-week program is psychology led and includes sessions developed and co-facilitated by an occupational therapist, physiotherapist, speech therapist, dietitian, and a lived experience speaker. Patients are also discussed in a multidisciplinary team meeting including our doctors and nurses, with recommendations and consultation offered to patients’ GPs to ensure an integrated care approach.
Four cohorts (N=27) have completed the program, with an 83% attendance rate. Participants (78% female, mean age 46) reported an average LC duration of 1.7 years. Feedback (N=13) showed 100% would recommend the group, with high satisfaction (8.7/10) and relevance of topics (8.3/10). Preliminary results highlight the program’s positive utility, with future research aiming to evaluate scalability and economic sustainability.