ArticleBMC health services research2023
"None of us are lying": an interpretive description of the search for legitimacy and the journey to access quality health services by individuals living with Long COVID.
Article in BMC health services research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Patient and Professional Perspectives on Long COVID: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Synthesis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Pooled it
- Experiences of people with long COVID: Symptoms, support strategies and the Long COVID Optimal Health Programme (LC-OHP).Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2024Trial
- Latina Immigrants' Experiences Accessing Contraceptive Services Beyond the Postpartum Period and the Role of Community and Pediatric Settings.Qualitative health research · 2026Article
- Barriers to Long COVID Care in the U.S.: An Application of Levesque et al.'s Access Framework.Health care analysis : HCA : journal of health philosophy and policy · 2026Article
- Contested illness and communication: Positioning long Covid in online discussion forums.Journal of health psychology · 2026Article
- Article
- Experiences of People With Long COVID Accessing Rehabilitation Services: A Qualitative Study.Occupational therapy international · 2026Article
- Functional impact of long Covid on work performance and return to work: a cross-sectional study.Revista de saude publica · 2026Article
- Illness Experiences of Veterans Reporting Long-Term Symptoms or Health Challenges from COVID-19: Results from the VA COVID-19 Observational Research Collaboratory.Journal of general internal medicine · 2025Article
- Barriers, facilitators, and the role of central coordination: understanding long COVID-19 healthcare access in a universal healthcare system.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2025Article
- Post-COVID-19 Syndrome as Described by Patients: A Qualitative Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Return-to-work for people living with long COVID: A scoping review of interventions and recommendations.PloS one · 2025Article
- Episodic disability framework in the context of Long COVID: Findings from a community-engaged international qualitative study.PloS one · 2025Article
- Perceived discrimination in fatigue: a qualitative interview study in the SOMA.SOC project.Frontiers in sociology · 2025Article
- Article
- People from ethnic minorities seeking help for long COVID: a qualitative study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2024Article
- Barriers and facilitators of healthcare access for long COVID-19 patients in a universal healthcare system: qualitative evidence from Austria.International journal for equity in health · 2024Article
- Disrupted Candidacy: A Longitudinal Examination of the Constrained Healthcare-Access Journeys of National Health Service Workers in Scotland Seeking Supports for Long COVID Illness.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2024Article
- Article
- "I Had to Know About It, I Had to Find It, I Had to Know How to Access it": Experiences of Access to Rehabilitation Services Among People Living with Long COVID.Physiotherapy Canada. Physiotherapie Canada · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
18 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundUnderstanding of Long COVID has advanced through patient-led initiatives. However, research about barriers to accessing Long COVID services is limited. This study aimed to better understand the need for, access to, and quality of, Long COVID services. We explored health needs and experiences of services, including ability of services to address needs.
methodsOur study was informed by the Levesque et al.'s (2013) "conceptual framework of access to health care." We used Interpretive Description, a qualitative approach partly aimed at informing clinical decisions. We recruited participants across five settings. Participants engaged in one-time, semi-structured, virtual interviews. Interviews were transcribed verbatim. We used reflexive thematic analysis. Best practice to ensure methodological rigour was employed.
resultsThree key themes were generated from 56 interviews. The first theme illustrated the rollercoaster-like nature of participants' Long COVID symptoms and the resulting impact on function and health. The second theme highlighted participants' attempts to access Long COVID services. Guidance received from healthcare professionals and self-advocacy impacted initial access. When navigating Long COVID services within the broader system, participants encountered barriers to access around stigma; appointment logistics; testing and 'normal' results; and financial precarity and affordability of services. The third theme illuminated common factors participants liked and disliked about Long COVID services. We framed each sub-theme as the key lesson (stemming from all likes and dislikes) that, if acted upon, the health system can use to improve the quality of Long COVID services. This provides tangible ways to improve the system based directly on what we heard from participants.
conclusionWith Long COVID services continuously evolving, our findings can inform decision makers within the health system to better understand the lived experiences of Long COVID and tailor services and policies appropriately.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.