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Researchers have reached consensus on the best way to measure the severity and impact of coronavirus over time by identifying a ‘core outcome measurement set’ (COMS).
This study lancet respiratory medicineis co-led by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO).
COMS is designed to help researchers and clinicians measure the symptoms and impact of long-term diseases such as COVID-19 in the same way, optimizing how data can be compared and summarized. Researchers say this will accelerate the understanding and development of treatments for the long-lasting coronavirus, which has a huge global impact.
Symptoms that persist or develop after COVID-19 are known as long-term coronavirus, but are also referred to as post-COVID-19 symptoms, post-COVID-19 acute sequelae (PASC), or COVID-19. It is also expressed by other names such as post-viral syndrome. Common symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, pain, exercise intolerance, and cognitive impairment (‘brain fog’), but patients can experience a wide range of other symptoms across all systems of the body. This makes it difficult to identify the main symptoms and how to measure them. .
This research includes identifying ways to measure the long-term coronavirus infection and its symptoms and impact, selecting the most common methods that can be used in all settings, and summarizing them to discuss them with experts. It involved reporting to a large international group of patients. After a series of studies, a final consensus meeting identifies agreement on what the best instrument is, if possible.
The study used the “Delphi technique” to reach consensus among the parties. This is a well-established approach in which participants are asked for their opinions in a first round, then shown the results of other participants and given an opportunity to reconsider their opinions, and this is repeated in subsequent rounds until consensus is reached. Masu.
Dr Tim Nicholson, Reader in Neuropsychiatry and one of the King’s IoPPN study co-leads, said: ‘The global research community is working with experienced patients to address long-term COVID-19 infections. The development of core outcome measures for this new condition is an important initiative in the development of evidence-based treatments for this new condition, allowing for the optimization, harmonization and efficient collation of data in research and clinical services. .”
The research team previously conducted a similar effort to reach consensus on which aspects of long-lasting coronavirus (so-called “outcome domains”) should be included in a minimum core outcome set and therefore measured across all research and clinical services. methodology was applied. A research paper published earlier this year agreed on a total of 12 outcome areas.
Professor Nick LeMoyne, Medical Director of the NIHR Clinical Research Network, said: “This study brings us a step closer to establishing a clear and consistent way to measure the long-lasting effects of coronavirus. “It’s an important tool to help.” Research is ongoing to find the most effective treatments. Researchers and patients worked closely to agree on measures that encompass people’s long-term experience with COVID-19. ”
Dr Margaret O’Hara from Long COVID Support said: ‘Long COVID patients from Long COVID Support and other groups have been involved in every step of the design and implementation of this study, which is important to us. We need research to measure symptoms, we need to use measurement tools that can capture our lived experiences, and we need to rapidly build bodies of evidence to compare and evaluate research. Researchers around the world also need to be able to use the same equipment to ensure that treatment is effective. “If treatment is effective, the clock is ticking for long-term COVID-19 patients. It is needed, but it can only be obtained through research, which will help accelerate the pace of evidence gathering.”
The study was co-led by Professor Paula Williamson and Dr Sarah Gorst from the University of Liverpool, Dr Daniel Manblit, Leader of Pediatrics at the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care, King’s College London and Russia’s Sechenov University. did. Professor Dale Needham of Johns Hopkins University, USA.
The researchers are now publishing these recommendations for adoption by the scientific and clinical communities. Further work is also planned to update his COMS as new data emerges on this new disorder and how best to measure its improvement.
Professor Williamson said: “This study significantly narrows the range of preferred outcome measurement instruments for researchers and clinicians to consider.”
Professor Needham added: “This project will help open the door to new research into core outcome measurement instruments for which no consensus has been reached.”
“We are extremely grateful to the 594 medical professionals, researchers, experienced individuals and their families who participated in this study,” said Dr. Ghost.
Dr Mumbrit said: “We sincerely hope that the results of this project will be widely implemented around the world, including in low-resource settings. We have also just completed the PC-COS Children Project and the results will be available soon. It is important to note that a set of core outcome measures for long-term COVID-19 in pediatric populations has been defined, which will now cover all age groups. .”
This project was conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Core Outcome Measures in Efficacy Trials (COMET) Initiative, and the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infectious Diseases Consortium (ISARIC).
