Long COVID—persistent health complications after recovery from coronavirus disease 2019 infection—is associated with activity limitations in nearly 48 million U.S. adults, affecting work, leisure, family, and community functioning. Occupational therapists are experts in customizing interventions to maximize performance of daily routines, and often treat individuals who experience similar functional impacts to those observed in long COVID. The large number of people experiencing new disability, as well as a lack of medical treatment options, make occupational therapy a crucial component of long-COVID research and multidisciplinary management. In this column, we discuss actionable steps occupational therapists can take to place them at the forefront of maximizing functional and quality-of-life outcomes for people with long COVID.

AOTA Taxonomy:
adults, coding and billing, COVID, diversity, equity, and inclusion, evaluation and assessment, evidence-based practice/knowledge translation, functional cognition deficits, habilitation and rehabilitation, home and community settings, hospitals, interprofessional practice and intraprofessional practice, intervention approaches, intervention types, long-term care, mental and behavioral health settings, older adults, outcomes, outpatient clinics, population, quality and value-based care, scope of practice, Technology
Keywords:
post-acute covid-19 syndrome, occupational therapists
Copyright © 2024 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.
2024
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