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Citation

BibTex format

@article{Clarke:2026:10.1111/hex.70527,
author = {Clarke, J and Jha, S and Prociuk, D and Mayer, E and de, Lusignan S and Smith, N and Milne, R and Lee, C and Kock, JD and Sivan, M and Delaney, BC},
doi = {10.1111/hex.70527},
journal = {Health Expectations},
title = {Exploring the intensity and continuity of hospital care for patients with long covid: evidence from an English urban healthcare system},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/hex.70527},
volume = {29},
year = {2026}
}
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RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - BackgroundLong Covid (LC) is a multisystem condition leading to a wide range of symptoms and often requiring treatment by several different clinical specialties. Patients with LC have reported difficulties in accessing care and a lack of coordination of their care, particularly in a hospital setting.ObjectiveTo determine the extent to which the intensity and continuity of hospital care changes for patients after they receive an LC diagnosis.DesignRetrospective observational cohort study using a linked primary and secondary care dataset.Setting and ParticipantsRoutine healthcare data from North West London Integrated Care System of patients with a recorded diagnosis of LC who had attended a secondary care hospital Trust from 1 January 2019 to 30 September 2023.Main Variables StudiedThe intensity of utilisation of secondary care was calculated, and the continuity of care with respect to hospitals and specialties was computed using the sequential continuity score (SeCon) before the Covid-19 pandemic, before and after an LC diagnosis.Results5611 out of 6270 (90.1%) patients diagnosed with LC had a recorded secondary care interaction in the study period. Intensity of secondary care utilisation increased markedly in outpatient, inpatient and Emergency Department pathways after a diagnosis of LC but peaked in the week of diagnosis. Average hospital SeCon fell significantly after an LC diagnosis from 1.00 to 0.83, while specialty SeCon remained unchanged from after diagnosis (0.40) and before the pandemic (0.44). A notable shift in specialty activity was observed with a focus on respiratory medicine as a major hub in a densely connected patient-sharing network with cardiology and other medical and surgical specialties.DiscussionA recorded LC diagnosis was associated with increases in the intensity of hospital activity and a reduction in hospital-level care continuity, but no change in specialty continuity, which remains low.ConclusionCollectively, this indicates a significa
AU  - Clarke,J
AU  - Jha,S
AU  - Prociuk,D
AU  - Mayer,E
AU  - de,Lusignan S
AU  - Smith,N
AU  - Milne,R
AU  - Lee,C
AU  - Kock,JD
AU  - Sivan,M
AU  - Delaney,BC
DO  - 10.1111/hex.70527
PY  - 2026///
SN  - 1369-6513
TI  - Exploring the intensity and continuity of hospital care for patients with long covid: evidence from an English urban healthcare system
T2  - Health Expectations
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/hex.70527
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.70527
VL  - 29
ER  -
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