Exploring the Efficacy of Occupational Therapy (OT) in Addressing Post-COVID Symptoms: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Context: Some researchers proved new and persistent symptoms lasting for weeks and even months after COVID that is named “long-COVID” or “post-COVID syndrome.” It appears that occupational therapists (OTs) have a significant role in managing the symptoms of long COVID, with the aim of enhancing patients' ability to perform daily activities and improving their overall well-being. The objective of this study was to conduct a scoping review study of reputable databases to identify the various ways in which OTs can manage long COVID from the onset of symptoms. Evidence Acquisition: To identify relevant documents, the following databases and search engine were searched from 2019 to 2023 in the English language: PubMed, Scopus, ISI, and Google Scholar. Keywords used for search include (("occupational therapy") AND (("post-COVID") OR ("long-COVID"))) AND ((intervention) OR (exercise)), of which 45 articles were found, and a total of 22 were chosen according to the predetermined criteria. Results: A diverse array of interventions in OT can be useful for the management of post-COVID symptoms, as mentioned in the 22 studies found as the search result, including energy management education, pulmonary rehabilitation, sleep hygiene, stress and fatigue management, and work simplification. Conclusions: Occupational Therapist offers a distinctive viewpoint on health conditions that arise in human life, and its interventions can be utilized to enhance health, self-management, and quality of life (QOL).