As better diagnosis and symptom management emerged for people with long COVID, researchers in Alberta set to work creating a program that could remotely connect urban specialists and rural patients. Between development and clinical implementation, the project was shelved.
With the province closing its clinics dedicated to treating people with long COVID, the story of Alberta’s innovative rural outreach program appears destined to remain incomplete.
Long COVID, or post COVID syndrome, refers to patients who are still experiencing symptoms twelve weeks after the initial infection. According to Health Canada, the condition affects about 1 in 9 adults who have had COVID.
Martin Ferguson-Pell said the University of Alberta’s Rehabilitation Robotics Lab was approached by Alberta Health Services to find a way to help assess rural patients for two common symptoms: breathlessness and fatigue.
“What we did, because of the challenges that people who are in rural areas have in getting …