@article {McPeakee001080, author = {Joanne McPeake and Martin Shaw and Pamela MacTavish and Kevin G Blyth and Helen Devine and Gillian Fleming and Justine Griffin and Lisa Gemmell and Pauline Grose and Mark Henderson and Philip Henderson and Lucy Hogg and Kirstin King and Iain McInnes and Peter O{\textquoteright}Brien and Kathryn Puxty and Callum Rainey and Varun Sharma and Malcolm Sim and Laura Strachan and Stefan Siebert and Tara Quasim}, title = {Long-term outcomes following severe COVID-19 infection: a propensity matched cohort study}, volume = {8}, number = {1}, elocation-id = {e001080}, year = {2021}, doi = {10.1136/bmjresp-2021-001080}, publisher = {Archives of Disease in childhood}, abstract = {Background There are limited data describing the long-term outcomes of severe COVID-19. We aimed to evaluate the long-term psychosocial and physical consequences of severe COVID-19 for patients.Methods We conducted a multicentre observational cohort study; between 3 and 7 months posthospital discharge, patients who had been admitted to critical care due to severe COVID-19 were invited to an established recovery service. Standardised questionnaires concerning emotional, physical and social recovery, including information on employment, were completed by patients. Using propensity score matching, we explored outcomes between patients admitted to critical care with and without COVID-19, using data from the same recovery programme.Results Between July 2020 and December 2020, 93 patients who had been admitted to critical with COVID-19 participated. Emotional dysfunction was common: 46.2\% of patients had symptoms of anxiety and 34.4\% symptoms of depression. At follow-up 53.7\% of previously employed patients had returned to employment; there was a significant difference in return to employment across the socio-economic gradient, with lower numbers of patients from the most deprived areas returning to employment (p=0.03). 91 (97.8\%) COVID-19 patients were matched with 91 non-COVID-19 patients. There were no significant differences in any measured outcomes between the two cohorts.Interpretation Emotional and social problems are common in survivors of severe COVID-19 infection. Coordinated rehabilitation is required to ensure patients make an optimal recovery.Data are available on reasonable request. The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.}, URL = {https://bmjopenrespres.bmj.com/content/8/1/e001080}, eprint = {https://bmjopenrespres.bmj.com/content/8/1/e001080.full.pdf}, journal = {BMJ Open Respiratory Research} }