Conclusion
Becker Kiliani-Klinik, Becker, COVID-19 syndrome
RECRUITMENT
Future research should apply study designs with more standardized recruitment, rigorous randomization, objective measures, and longer follow-up periods to strengthen the validity and generalizability of results. Nevertheless, this study clearly demonstrated the potential and effectiveness of empowering patients to cope with their symptoms. Therefore, professional support should be incorporated in medical treatment as it seems to be an effective way to support patients with PACS. Providing patients with human support and thereby also knowledge about their condition, possible treatment options, and symptom management can help them cope with their situation. In the shared decision-making approach in the ACG, the digital interventions were individualized by involving patients, which resulted in symptom reduction when compared to the passive CompG. However, this group was recruited via a different recruitment pathway, which should be considered when interpreting the findings. Encouraging patients to play an active role in their own care can help them feel empowered. This can include strategies of developing a self-care plan, tracking symptoms, and monitoring medication use, as well as completing their exercises in the digital interventions. Promising digital interventions are breathing and relaxation exercises, mindfulness training, meditation, physical strength tasks, and sensory as well as functional training. Improving patients’ access to care and their capability to take an active part in their treatment can potentially help reduce symptoms and thus alleviate the pandemic burden on the society.We are grateful to the personnel at the Dr Becker Kiliani-Klinik in Bad Windsheim for their assistance with the diagnostic assessment and to the personal pilots who supported the patients. We would also like to thank all the participants who provided data.This study was funded by the Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety (Gesamt-2490-PC-2021-V7-D56613/2021; Förderung durch den Freistaat Bayern, Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Gesundheit und Pflege, Förderinitiative Post-COVID-Syndrom des Bayerischen Staatsministeriums für Gesundheit und Pflege, Projekt “ASAP—Assistierter Sofortiger Augmentierter Post-/Long-COVID Plan”). The funding source had no role in the design of this study and will not play any role during its execution, analyses, interpretation of the data, or decision to submit results.Authors' Contributions: CD contributed to conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, investigation, methodology, project administration, and writing of the original draft. RR contributed to conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, methodology, project administration, visualization, and writing of the original draft. LG contributed to data curation and formal analysis. AD contributed to conceptualization, funding acquisition, and validation. CC contributed to investigation, project administration, and resources. CK contributed to project administration and validation. PB contributed to conceptualization, funding acquisition, project administration, resources, and validation. SL contributed to conceptualization, funding acquisition, methodology, project administration, resources, supervision, validation, and writing of the original draft. All authors contributed to the review and editing of the original draft.Conflicts of Interest: PB is a shareholder of Dr. Becker Klinikgruppe, which has set itself the goal of transferring scientific findings into the everyday rehabilitation services for patients diagnosed with postacute COVID-19 syndrome. No generative artificial intelligence was used in any portion of the manuscript writing.CONSORT-eHEALTH checklist (V 1.6.1).Supplementary Tables A1-A3.