Dysfunction of hippocampal cells and its role in cognitive impairment.

Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic in Canada in early 2020, attention has been focused on mortality, critical care, vaccines, and reviving the global economy. As time went on, it became evident that a sizeable number of those living with acute COVID-19 did not recover in the first few weeks after contracting the virus. These individuals, often referred to as “long haulers” (), dealt with a collection of wide-ranging persistent symptoms and syndromes that have come to be collectively known as “long COVID” or “post-acute COVID” (). A unique group of these individuals subsequently activated themselves, notably through social media, Facebook and Twitter, and moved awareness and discourse about this new condition from a subjective concept to an objective reality (). The increasing number of individuals affected by long COVID, globally estimated to be over 65 million, will continue to impact workforces, academic institutions, families, and communities overall (). In a recent study, one in nine Canadians experienced long-term COVID-19 symptoms and of these, one in three reported no change in their symptoms over time (). There are many quantitative studies looking into etiology and treatments of long COVID (; ; ). However, until now, responses to long COVID concerns have ranged from disregard to utilizing treatment plans or frameworks for existing conditions that might share one or more symptoms that long COVID presents. As a result, many of the treatments put in place for long COVID are neither relevant nor effective in addressing the unique and individual needs of this population, and are in fact sometimes even considered harmful. There are also concerns about the capacity of health systems to manage post-acute COVID (). In addition to research aimed to understand the mechanisms that cause long COVID, qualitative research is needed to understand the patient experience and perspective about the barriers and supports leading to recovery, or at best an acceptable return to health, and to identify gaps in current related resources and services for long COVID patients. This includes identifying and accessing existing and potential rehabilitation treatment options for post-acute COVID patients (long haulers), determining the timing, delivery criteria, and extent of treatment, as well as trying to understand the barriers and facilitators patients might experience to accessing rehabilitation care pathways (). There are some regional qualitative studies () about the needs of those living with long COVID, but there is a discernable lack of literature about studies that meaningfully integrate patient lived-experience expertise and insight into research study design, data collection, and analysis ().