PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Joanne McPeake AU - Martin Shaw AU - Pamela MacTavish AU - Kevin G Blyth AU - Helen Devine AU - Gillian Fleming AU - Justine Griffin AU - Lisa Gemmell AU - Pauline Grose AU - Mark Henderson AU - Philip Henderson AU - Lucy Hogg AU - Kirstin King AU - Iain McInnes AU - Peter O'Brien AU - Kathryn Puxty AU - Callum Rainey AU - Varun Sharma AU - Malcolm Sim AU - Laura Strachan AU - Stefan Siebert AU - Tara Quasim TI - Long-term outcomes following severe COVID-19 infection: a propensity matched cohort study AID - 10.1136/bmjresp-2021-001080 DP - 2021 Dec 01 TA - BMJ Open Respiratory Research PG - e001080 VI - 8 IP - 1 4099 - http://bmjopenrespres.bmj.com/content/8/1/e001080.short 4100 - http://bmjopenrespres.bmj.com/content/8/1/e001080.full SO - BMJ Open Resp Res2021 Dec 01; 8 AB - 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.