Canadian guidelines for post COVID-19 condition (CAN-PCC): A summary for general practitioners

Post COVID-19 condition (PCC), also known as Long COVID is associated with a substantial global burden. The Canadian Guidelines for Post COVID-19 Condition (CAN-PCC), developed by the CAN-PCC Collaborative, led by McMaster University's Cochrane Canada and GRADE Centres with support from the Public Health Agency of Canada, synthesised over 100 recommendations across prevention, diagnosis, clinical interventions and individualised care, neurological and psychiatric care, paediatric considerations, and health system supports.

This summary highlights key, actionable recommendations for general practitioners and outlines their relevance across diverse healthcare contexts.

We extracted recommendations from the CAN‑PCC guidelines and organized them into four domains.

Across the four domains, several priority recommendations for general practitioners were identified: [1] testing, identification and diagnosis (conditional recommendation for symptom‑guided work‑up; strong recommendation to screen adults for depression); [2] clinical interventions (conditional recommendation for patient‑centred goals, functional recovery, targeted pharmacotherapy, and non-pharmacological strategies); [3] prevention (conditional recommendation for vaccination, masking, indoor air quality improvement, early outpatient pharmacotherapy where indicated, including metformin and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir); and [4] paediatric considerations (conditional recommendation for vaccination and mental‑health screening; strong recommendation against cannabidiol/CBD).

As evidence evolves, the CAN‑PCC guidelines provide a comprehensive, patient‑centred framework to support general practitioners in the prevention, identification, and management of PCC. Its recommendations can be adapted across varied healthcare settings to support consistent, safe, and effective care delivery.