Post-COVID Condition Overview - Continuing Medical Education

Overview

Post COVID-19 Condition in Canada

"The COVID pandemic has had devastating effects on our society and on human health and mortality. Over the past two years, evidence has emerged to suggest that the impacts of COVID-19 extend beyond the acute phase of the disease which, in some infected individuals, can turn into a chronic illness. In Canada, as of August 2022, more than 1.4 million people – or about 15 percent of adults who have contracted COVID-19 – say they experience symptoms three months or more after their initial SARS-CoV-2 virus infection. These include respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological and cognitive impairments and they can be debilitating.

These longer-term symptoms are collectively identified as post-COVID-19 condition (PCC), or long COVID. PCC is not a homogeneous disease, as different individuals can present different sets of symptoms. Currently, there is no consensus definition of the condition or its diagnosis and few if any clinical practice guidelines are available."

Read more about PCC in Canada here: Post-COVID-19 Condition in Canada: What We Know, What We Don’t Know and a Framework for Action

Usask Develops Provincial PCC Education Program

Learning about COVID infection and its long-term implications is critical to developing a better understanding of the course of the disease, what to expect and how to best cope with the overall burden of the disease.

In August 2022, the division of Continuing Medical Education (CME) at the College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, conducted a Needs Assessment of patients and their families and of healthcare providers across the province of Saskatchewan, to develop an educational curriculum for a provincial PCC education program.

As part of this program, educational resources and live event recordings have been added to this website to share knowledge related to PCC for patients, their families, and health care providers across Saskatchewan.

CAN-PCC

Guidelines and Recommendations

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) funded Cochrane Canada and the McMaster GRADE Centre to develop guidelines for Post COVID-19 Condition (PCC). The team working on the guidelines is a group of 90 people from across Canada, including researchers, health professionals, people with lived PCC experience, and health economists. Their equity oversight committee ensures that equity is always considered-one of the first guideline projects to do so.

Following a public consultation process, recommendations and good practice statements will be released on a monthly basis. The full set of approximately 100+ recommendations is expected to be completed and released by March 2025. As of April 2025, there are 19 good practice statements and 80 recommendations available to help guide patients, health care professionals, and policymakers. To view the good practice statements and recommendations, visit the CAN-PCC Recommendations Map (RecMap). Statements are available in both English and French.

CAN-PCC Rec-Map

To learn more about the Canadian Guidelines for Post COVID-19 Condition, their team, and their aproach, visit their project website.

CAN-PCC Website

The University of Saskatchewan PCC team will be integrating the Canadian Guidelines for Post COVID-19 Condition(CAN-PCC) into accredited webinars, outreach visits to community and health organizations, and self-management resources as part of the educational program.

Long COVID Web

Long COVID Web is designed to bring together researchers, healthcare professionals, and patients to address the challenges of Post COVID-19 Condition (PCC). It fosters collaboration across various fields, including biomedical and clinical research, health services, and population health, to improve understanding and care for those affected. The platform emphasizes patient involvement in research and shares resources, insights, and research findings. It also organizes events such as the Canadian Symposium on Long COVID, to encourage knowledge-sharing and action on gaps in care. To learn more, click on the link below to visit their website.

Long COVID Web

MyGuide: Long COVID

MyGuide: Long COVID is a network that supports and conducts research on Post COVID Condition (PCC), focusing on improving patient care, understanding the disease, and finding treatments. It involves diverse participants, including patients, clinicians, and researchers, working together across Canada. To learn more about MyGuide: Long COVID, visit their website.