The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is recommending that more must be done to help GPs, such as those in Wyndham, care for patients with long COVID.
Long COVID is a broad term referring to a range of symptoms that can last for weeks or months after the initial illness.
RACGP said that at this stage the ongoing effects remain relatively unknown, and prolonged illness could potentially last for years. The symptoms can be very serious and include fatigue, breathlessness, anxiety and depression, chest pain, “brain fog” and changes to taste and smell.
RACGP president adjunct professor Karen Price said that long COVID must be taken seriously.
“Long COVID is hitting many patients hard and we must do more to help them,” she said.
“That includes providing immediate support to patients with this condition and putting the right systems in place to ensure that in the years to come we are better prepared to tackle long COVID and the impacts on our healthcare system and communities more broadly.
“To start, we need a formal agreed definition of long COVID because right now there is uncertainty for patients and healthcare workers. We also need up-to-date evidence-based guidelines developed and maintained, something that could be achieved through ongoing funding of the National Clinical Evidence Taskforce.”
Ms Price said one of the challenges doctors face is poor patient awareness of long COVID and lack of access to medical and allied heath appointments,
“Patients are reporting problems navigating the health system to get proper long COVID assessment, diagnosis, and appropriate treatment and that must change,” she said.
“There are not enough specialist long COVID clinics, especially in rural and remote areas, and those clinics that are up and running can’t meet demand. There are also long wait times for review and input by other medical specialists and allied health professionals.
“We need to educate the general public about long COVID and make sure all patients, regardless of their postcode or any social factors, have access to best-practice medical care and support.”
