Return-to-work for People Living with Long COVID: A Scoping Review of Interventions and Recommendations

IntroductionLong COVID affects individuals labour market participation in many ways. While some cannot work at all, others may return to work (RTW) in a limited capacity. Determining what rehabilitation or related strategies are safe and effective for facilitating RTW is necessary. ObjectivesTo synthesize evidence on RTW interventions for people living with Long COVID and to identify promising interventions for enhancing work ability and RTW. MethodsWe followed Arksey & OMalleys methodology and the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews. Five electronic bibliographic databases and grey literature were searched. The included various study designs, such as randomized controlled trials (RCT), quasi-experimental designs, and observational studies. Two reviewers conducted screening and data extraction, with disagreements resolved through consensus. Intervention studies were categorized as promising (statistically significant RTW outcomes or [&ge;] 50% RTW), somewhat promising (20% to < 50% RTW), or not promising (non-statistically significant RTW outcomes or < 20% RTW). ResultsEleven recommendations and eleven intervention studies were identified. Of the intervention studies, 6 were cohort studies, 3 quasi-experimental studies, 1 RCT and 1 case report. Promising interventions included multimodal and interdisciplinary work-focused rehabilitation (1 article), psychoeducation, pacing, and breathing strategies (2 articles), shifting focus from symptom monitoring to optimizing functional outcomes (1 article), and enhanced external CounterPulsation (EECP) inflatable pressure to improve blood flow (1 article). ConclusionMany uncertainties remain regarding which RTW interventions are effective or the optimal characteristics of these interventions.