A cognitive rehabilitation program may improve cognitive performance in patients with long COVID

1. In a multicenter, single-blind, randomized clinical trial, participation in a cognitive rehabilitation program improved goal attainment and cognitive test scores in patients suffering from Long COVID-related cognitive dysfunction.

Evidence Rating Level: 1 (Excellent)

Long COVID is defined as a chronic condition that occurs following the infection of COVID-19, present for at least 3 months consisting of symptoms of disease among 1 or more organ systems. More than 27% of COVID-19 survivors report cognitive impairment, with deficits in goal attainment, executive functioning, memory, language abilities, processing speed, and extensive fatigue. This study conducted a multicenter, single-blind, randomized control trial with 78 patients allocated in a 1:1 ratio to a new cognitive rehabilitation program of 10 weekly 1-hour telehealth sessions that focused on achieving 3 defined goals, compared to treatment as usual. Three months after randomization, goal achievement was significantly greater in the cognitive rehabilitation program compared to treatment as usual (adjusted mean difference=2.88, 95% CI 2.03-3.73, p<0.001). These effects were maintained at 6 months post-implementation of the cognitive rehabilitation program compared with the treatment as usual group (adjusted mean difference=1.72, 95% CI 0.86-2.57, p<0.001). Overall, this study highlights the effectiveness of individualized, goal-oriented cognitive rehabilitation in improving goal attainment and reducing cognitive impairment among patients with Long COVID, with improvements evident in the short term and sustained over the long term.

Click here to read this study in JAMA Network Open

Image: PD

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