Trauma, Technology, and Long COVID Care Access: A Multi-Cycle Evaluation Elevating Voices of Those With Long COVID to Frame Utility and Feasibility of Care Access Solutions

Abstract Information: Long COVID is a multifaceted condition experienced by approximately 10% of people who survive COVID- 19 infections that can severely hinder an individual’s ability to access healthcare, either virtually or in face-to-face settings. This evaluation utilized a bottom-up Empowerment and Responsive approach to center the lived experiences of more than 180 people with long COVID and their families to evaluate how trauma-informed application of technology could support improved care access. This evaluation was conducted in three phases: 1) establishing the scope of barriers that people with long COVID experience in seeking care; 2) working with a number of stakeholders (people with long COVID, their families, healthcare providers, health technology subject matter experts, and healthcare system leaders) to iteratively co-create a model that captured long COVID variables that impact care access and proposed solutions to support care access; 3) disseminating this model at a forum of healthcare industry leaders and experts and evaluating their response to it focused on feasibility and utility. Key findings include exploration of the spectrum of factors that impact long COVID care access, long COVID symptom variability, the role Depression and Grief play in the long COVID experience, and the uses of adaptive technology solutions to support long COVID care access. Responses to the co-created model by those situated in healthcare settings to actualize work will also be presented.