A qualitative study of the general practice experience of diagnosing and managing long COVID: challenges and practical recommendations

Background and objective: Patients with prolonged symptoms following COVID-19 infection(s) will increasingly present to general practice. Our research objective was to understand the general practice experience of diagnosing and managing long COVID and to explore recommendations for contributing to the safety and quality of the long COVID response.
Methods: A two-hour qualitative session involving 11 project stakeholders was held in March 2023. The stakeholders included general practitioners as well as representatives from four Primary Health Networks, Outcome Health and the funding body. Transcripts were analysed using qualitative content analysis.
Results: Key challenges and practical recommendations emerged relating to diagnosing long COVID, documentation of COVID-19 infections, ongoing management, screening tools and the need for public health messaging.
Discussion: General practices need more accurate definitions and information about the diagnosis of long COVID. Supporting general practitioners with information to diagnose and manage patients with long COVID is essential. General practice voices need to be heard to enhance our understanding of long COVID and inform policy decisions.