Last week I was honored to deliver the keynote address to kick off the second day of the Symposium on Long COVID: Examining the Working Definition, hosted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) in Washington, DC. The event featured an impressive diversity of voices, from patients and advocates, to laboratory scientists, clinicians, to big data epidemiologists. As well it should have. The event was part of NASEM’s ongoing effort to examine and help refine the definition of Long Covid—at the request of the Department of Health and Human Services, no less. No small task.
Our health system uses Epic electronic medical record. ICD 10 codes already exist and I have been using them during outpatient visits for long Covid syndromes. Normally there is a long Covid umbrella code, but also more specific subsets like Long Covid with neurological manifestations. Lately I’ve been using “Post Covid condition.” Too many options, but a standard nomenclature that allows broad coding when symptoms are broad, and more narrow symptom defined nomenclature when symptom cluster in one body system would be best IMO. And what about PASC?
Alternatively, we could ask Starbucks for permission to use their drink sizes: Short, Tall, Grande, Venti Hot, Venti Cold, and Trenta. This may have a disarming and empowering effect with an otherwise fearful condition.
I’m in a little tent, an orphan of sorts. My symptoms ( which I didn’t have before Covid) are not mentioned anywhere. 14 months later still have sinus pain , sometimes headache or teeth ache, and on my worse days a general feeling of unwellness in addition to my sinus sx. Sinus CT was totally normal which was a huge blow
Today is a good day. Yesterday bad because I wore a mask on a long plane trip . Last day of no symptoms since the start was March7. I am hesitant in saying I have LC because others are far worse off than I. So I understand the dilemma
Our health system uses Epic electronic medical record. ICD 10 codes already exist and I have been using them during outpatient visits for long Covid syndromes. Normally there is a long Covid umbrella code, but also more specific subsets like Long Covid with neurological manifestations. Lately I’ve been using “Post Covid condition.” Too many options, but a standard nomenclature that allows broad coding when symptoms are broad, and more narrow symptom defined nomenclature when symptom cluster in one body system would be best IMO. And what about PASC?
Alternatively, we could ask Starbucks for permission to use their drink sizes: Short, Tall, Grande, Venti Hot, Venti Cold, and Trenta. This may have a disarming and empowering effect with an otherwise fearful condition.
I’m in a little tent, an orphan of sorts. My symptoms ( which I didn’t have before Covid) are not mentioned anywhere. 14 months later still have sinus pain , sometimes headache or teeth ache, and on my worse days a general feeling of unwellness in addition to my sinus sx. Sinus CT was totally normal which was a huge blow
Today is a good day. Yesterday bad because I wore a mask on a long plane trip . Last day of no symptoms since the start was March7. I am hesitant in saying I have LC because others are far worse off than I. So I understand the dilemma
Is "3 weeks" hyperbole?
I was just using extremes to make a point