Abstract
BACKGROUND: Long COVID still challenges healthcare systems worldwide. Tailored treatments are scarce. In the ErgoLoCo study, we have developed and tested a telehealth-delivered occupational therapy intervention for people affected by long COVID. Acceptability from both recipients and providers is a prerequisite for implementing such new interventions. AIM: This study is aimed at exploring the perceptions of people with long COVID and occupational therapists regarding the intervention's acceptability and telehealth delivery approaches. METHODS: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 13 participants who experience long COVID and received the ErgoLoCo intervention delivered as teletherapy sessions or prerecorded videos. Eight occupational therapists who guided the teletherapy sessions participated in a focus group. Materials were analyzed following qualitative descriptive methods and interpreted using the theoretical framework of acceptability (TFA). RESULTS: Occupational therapists and long COVID clients considered the occupational therapy approach a positive experience. While all participants in the teletherapy group found the occupational therapy approach helpful in coping with long COVID symptoms and regaining participation in meaningful occupations, perceptions varied in the group supplied with prerecorded videos. Some saw the intervention as helpful, but all emphasized the need for professional support from occupational therapists to use the program more effectively. The occupational therapists emphasized the need to tailor the therapy content to clients' needs to ensure effective and successful management of occupational challenges. DISCUSSION: The study highlights telehealth-delivered occupational therapy's potential benefits and challenges for individuals with long COVID. It contributes to understanding the challenges and potential of telehealth-delivered occupational therapy for long COVID rehabilitation. This study's key finding is the importance of personalized and professionally guided telehealth interventions. Trial Registration: German Clinical Trial Registry identifier DRKS00029990.