OutreAch MediCal Care for HousEbound Patients with Post-COVID Syndrome or ME/CFS of any cause (ACCESS)

Project description

The project aims to investigate the prevalence of the severe variant of post-COVID syndrome (PCS) or ME/CFS due to other causes. The focus will be on clinical features, diagnosis, risk factors, and the impact of the disease on the lives of patients and their families/caregivers. The target group are patients who are confined to their homes or bedridden due to their illness. The project aims to develop individualised treatment plans and investigate the effects of monthly consultations on patients' health status and the burden on caregivers. The project will be carried out in close collaboration between patients, caregivers, primary care physicians, and a panel of experts from internal medicine, neurology, psychosomatic medicine, and general practice.

The results of ACCESS will contribute to the medium-term development of care services to alleviate the symptoms of patients with the severe variant of PCS or ME/CFS. By focusing particularly on bedridden patients or those who cannot leave their homes due to their illness, urgently needed treatment approaches are being developed for a particularly vulnerable group of patients. The evaluation of treatment pathways, in particular, provides important insights for improving the care situation in Germany.

Description adapted from project website: see link above.