Models of Support for Caregivers and Patients with the Post-COVID-19 Condition: A Scoping Review

In December 2019, an outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), occurred in the city of Wuhan, China. On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. In October 2021, with the advancement of the disease, the World Health Organization defined the post-COVID-19 condition. The post-COVID-19 condition occurs in individuals with a history of probable or confirmed infection with SARS-CoV-2, usually 3 months after the onset of the disease. The chronicity of COVID-19 has increased the importance of recognizing caregivers and their needs.

We conducted a scoping review following international guidelines to map the models of support for caregivers and patients with the post-COVID-19 condition. The searches were conducted in electronic databases and the grey literature. The Population, Concept, and Context framework was used: Population: patients with the post-COVID-19 condition and caregivers; Concept: models of caregiver and patient support; and Context: post-COVID-19 condition. A total of 3258 records were identified through the electronic search, and 20 articles were included in the final sample.

The studies approached existing guidelines and health policies for post-COVID-19 condition patients and support services for patients and home caregivers such as telerehabilitation, multidisciplinary care, hybrid models of care, and follow-up services. Only one study specifically addressed the home caregivers of patients with this clinical condition.

The review indicates that strategies such as telerehabilitation are effective for training and monitoring the patient-family dyad, but the conditions of access and digital literacy must be considered.