The telemedical project is intended to support General Practitioners (GPs) in the care of people with post-COVID syndrome.
Telemedicine: Kristine Engeleit and Dr Christoph Korallus talk to a patient. Copyright: Karin Kaiser / MHH
27. June 2023
According to estimates, there are about 600,000* people with the so-called post-COVID syndrome in Lower Saxony. Some of them still suffer from symptoms such as chronic fatigue, physical exhaustion or concentration problems months after a SARS-CoV-2 infection. This is where a project of the Hannover Medical School (MHH) comes in: With a virtual COVID rehabilitation clinic (ViCoReK-NDS), it wants to support GP practices in the care of these patients. The project is being implemented by the Clinic for Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine and the Institute for General Medicine and Palliative Medicine in cooperation with the Lower Saxony GP Association. The Federal Ministry of Health is funding it with around 400,000 euros.
Rehabilitation gaps in care
For most people with post-COVID syndrome, GPs are the first port of call. But because the condition is still poorly understood and there is no causal treatment approach, treatment options are limited. "Specialised outpatient clinics could be of further help. But it can take months before those affected get an appointment there," explains project initiator Dr Christoph Egen from the Clinic for Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine. There are gaps in rehabilitative care. "If the symptoms are clear, general practitioners can refer patients to cardiology or pneumology and receive findings from there. But subjective symptoms like concentration disorders and exhaustion are difficult to diagnose and treat. Nevertheless, they must be taken very seriously and treated," says Kristine Engeleit, a doctor at the Institute of General Medicine and Palliative Medicine. According to an MHH survey, GPs would like support in such situations. The same applies to questions about reduced earning capacity or applying for medical rehabilitation.
Support via telemedicine
The virtual COVID rehabilitation clinic is primarily aimed at these general practitioners. "We want to multiply scientifically sound knowledge and practical know-how so that it can benefit patients in the area," explains Dr Christoph Korallus from the Clinic for Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine. Like Kristine Engeleit, he is part of the interdisciplinary MHH team at the COVID rehabilitation clinic. The project is a telemedical offer with several modules, in which the patients are also involved.
Modular structure
The first module includes specialised training and counselling. GPs can, for example, download information material or videos and book appointments for training and specialist advice. In the second module, they can invite their patients to an interdisciplinary video consultation with one or more specialists from the MHH team to discuss further care. The third module deals with particularly complex cases. In addition to the person affected, the MHH specialists and the general practitioners, two therapists from physiotherapy or occupational therapy also take part in the interprofessional-interdisciplinary consultation. "The modular structure will pave the way for treatment for those affected and the interfaces in care will be better linked," Dr Egen hopes. One possible path also leads from the virtual rehabilitation clinic to the consultation hours for rehabilitation for COVID-19 long-term effects of the Clinic for Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine or, if necessary, to specialist outpatient clinics of other MHH clinics.
Registration already possible
The virtual COVID rehabilitation clinic will be launched on 1 September this year. Interested GPs must register to participate. You can already register for this at the Clinic for Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine. The e-mail address is egen.christoph@mh-hannover.de.
The project title "ViCoReK-NDS" is the abbreviation for "Establishment of an interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral virtual COVID rehabilitation clinic for telemedical support of GP care for long COVID patients in Lower Saxony".
Text: Tina Götting
*However, a large proportion of affected people will currently have few to no symptoms. The current number of people affected by post-COVID in Lower Saxony and Germany cannot be determined due to the lack of register data. Nevertheless, clinical experience (long waiting times in the clinic's own COVID rehab consultation) and a survey of GP practices (Egen et al. 2023) show that there is still a need on the part of patients.