A descriptive exploration of younger and older adults’ experiences of Integrative Medical Group Visits for Long COVID

Introduction

Long COVID disproportionately affects older adults. Individuals with Long COVID (LC) often experience symptoms that severely impact quality of life, and treatment approaches are still evolving. The Integrative Medical Group Visit (IMGV) model is an evidence-based approach that may be useful to treat patients with LC; however, there is limited evidence describing the experience and/or feasibility of using IMGV for LC treatment, especially among the older adult population. The purpose of this study is to describe older and younger adults’ experiences of both having LC and participating in a virtually delivered IMGV for LC.

Methods

This is a secondary analysis of qualitative data from a parent study examining the experiences of participants in a virtually delivered IMGV for patients with LC. Patients participated in semi-structured interviews before and after 8 weekly IMGV sessions. Thematic analysis was used to analyze interview data.

Results

Overall, 21 pre-interviews and 17 post-interviews were collected. Thematic analysis of patient interviews by age group resulted in three themes that each contained similarities and differences between the younger and older adult participants. These themes included: (1) experiences of LC (2) feelings about the future (3) experiences of the pilot IMGV on LC.

Conclusion

This study provides critical context for clinicians who treat older adults with LC. Results support virtually delivered IMGVs as a potentially feasible option for both older and younger adults who want to apply an integrative approach to their LC treatment. Findings from this study will inform future research on IMGV for LC treatment.