BACKGROUND

A substantial number of COVID-19 recoverees are working-aged individuals, which makes return-towork (RTW) an essential part of rehabilitation. Many COVID-19 recoverees must deal with physical and mental symptoms of post-COVID conditions such as fatigue, dyspnea, difficulty concentrating, memory lapses, and anxiety. These symptoms coupled with often insufficient support from employers and the government can make the RTW process complicated. Although research related to RTW after COVID-19 has begun to emerge over the years, few primary studies have come out from developing countries.

OBJECTIVES

This exploratory study aims to describe perceived work ability and health-related quality of life, lived experiences of the RTW process, and role of rehabilitation in a limited sample of Filipino COVID-19 recoverees. 

METHODS

Using purposive sampling and a convergent parallel mixed-method design, the study draws on an online survey and group interviews to understand expectations, experiences, and self-rated work ability of working-age adults with post-COVID condition. We report the findings of the questionnaire data using descriptive statistics. From the questionnaire respondents, eight participants were interviewed to explore the RTW experiences from multiple perspectives. The group interview was conducted online, and narrative analysis was used to explore the data. This analytic process involved an iterative and inductive process between data gathering and data analysis.

RESULTS

Findings from our narrative analysis are reported under four themes: 1) The period of liminality; 2) A ‘positive’ problem; 3) Health as a psychosocial and justice issue; and 4) The reimagination of paid work. The narratives gathered document an overview of how selected Filipinos overcame the COVID-19 infection and their recovery and RTW process.

CONCLUSION

Results call for a re-examination of the concept of health and paid work for individuals undergoing rehabilitation and recovery.

Human ; Pandemics ; Rehabilitation, Vocational ; Occupational Therapy

Due to restrictions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, occupational therapy (OT) programs in the Philippines postponed face-to-face internship indefinitely. While guidelines encourage the use of the different alternative strategies in emergency remote learning, many Filipino clinical supervisors are apprehensive about online internship to prepare interns for clinical practice. In response to the growing concerns regarding online internship, an online forum was organized and attended by 23 clinical supervisors who shared their experiences and reflections. The online forum included sharing of speakers from major practice settings, breakout sessions, and sharing of insights from the breakout sessions. Qualitative data were collected and analyzed. Four themes emerged: issues and challenges in using telehealth as part of OT internship; maximizing technology in OT internship; re-envisioning competencies of students and internship supervisors towards the quality of client care, and; potentialities for the future of OT internship. Components of online internship will stay and must be further developed even after the pandemic. Through the forum, clinical supervisors can achieve collective goals in order to effectively educate OT interns amid unprecedented times.
Telemedicine ; COVID-19