Long COVID and Health Inequalities: What's Next for Research and Policy Advocacy?

Introduction: Organised by the 'Qualitative Long Covid Network', a workshop for qualitative Long COVID (LC) researchers, LC charity representatives and people with LC took place in June 2023, where research on the intersectional inequalities affecting LC prevalence, recognition and care was shared and discussed.

Methods: Five key themes were drawn up from presentations, discussions and reflections during the workshop, which are presented in this study.

Results: The following five themes are discussed: the unfairness of LC, difficulties in accessing care, mistrust of the healthcare system, a lack of understanding of LC and experiences of stigma and discrimination.

Application of autologous fibrin glue for skull base defect closure in transsphenoidal surgery. Case report and literature review.

Nasal CSF leakage is the most common complication after transsphenoidal surgery, especially in case of extended transsphenoidal access. It is one of the main and obvious risk factors of meningitis. Introduction of effective reconstructive techniques made it possible to reduce the incidence of postoperative CSF leakage.

[Endoscopic fenestration of arachnoid cyst of posterior cranial fossa through third ventriculostomy].

Arachnoid cysts (AC) are spaces with cerebrospinal fluid covered with arachnoid membrane. Most cysts are supratentorial and only 10-12% of ACs are found in posterior cranial fossa. This disease is usually diagnosed in childhood.

The legal, governance and ethical implications of involving service users and carers in research.

Purpose: Service user and carer involvement in all aspects of the health and care research process, from co-applicant on funding applications to active engagement in a research study, is now a requirement for most research funders. However, as co-production increases and service users and carers take on more responsibilities, this involvement has legal, governance and ethical implications. The purpose of this paper is to raise awareness of the issues and consider potential solutions.

Patient and public involvement in reducing health and care research waste.

Plain English Summary: As much as 85 % of health research is believed to be wasted because it is not published or reported, the design is poor or does not consider what is already known in the topic area. Although a great deal of work has been done in the UK to reduce research waste, the role of patients and the public has not been discussed.This paper describes a survey, on the role of patients in reducing research waste, which was carried out as part of a larger piece of work on reducing waste in healthcare.

Developing a training package.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to outline the development of a training package for service users and carers with an interest in NHS health and social care research. It demonstrates how the developers used their unique experience and expertise as service users and carers to inform their work. Design/methodology/approach Service users and carers, NHS Research and Development Forum working group members, supported by health professionals, identified a need for research training that was tailored to other service user and carer needs.

Practical guidance on undertaking a service evaluation.

This article describes the basic principles of evaluation, focusing on the evaluation of healthcare services. It emphasises the importance of evaluation in the current healthcare environment and the requirement for nurses to understand the essential principles of evaluation. Evaluation is defined in contrast to audit and research, and the main theoretical approaches to evaluation are outlined, providing insights into the different types of evaluation that may be undertaken.

Developing and evaluating guidelines for patient and public involvement (PPI) in research.

Purpose: A growing literature reports the benefits and challenges of patient and public involvement (PPI) in research; nevertheless, understanding PPI in research design remains under-developed. The purpose of this paper is to report learning experiences from involving service users as research partners in two projects that developed and evaluated guidelines for good practice in this regard. The main objective was to evaluate these guidelines.