In recent years, after the end of the corona pandemic, people struggling with post-COVID symptoms had few places to turn to with their complaints. Initially there was hardly any attention for this 'consequential disease', but fortunately that is changing. More and more research into post-COVID has already been done recently, and soon three University Medical Centres (umcs) will open the Netherlands' first post-COVID expertise centers for adults.
The three centers will be opened at Maastricht UMC+, Amsterdam UMC and Erasmus MC. The umc's will work closely together within the expertise centers, such as investigating new disease states and sharing the knowledge gained within their regional network and between the centers. In this way, new insights and improved treatment methods find their way into practice and thus the patient faster. To this end, cooperation is also sought with the already existing Post-COVID Network Netherlands (PCNN).
Registration from November 1
From November 1, patients with post-COVID can register with their general practitioner for treatment at one of the three centers. On the basis of established criteria it will be determined whether a patient is eligible for registration at the expertise centers. The exact criteria will be announced shortly - before the first centers of expertise open. One of the important criteria is the fact that a patient must have post-COVID symptoms of a certain severity for at least a year.
Currently, much work is still being done to prepare the centers, such as preparing information for patients and, in consultation with general practitioners, setting up an efficient registration system for referrals. The goal is to give patients, who often have been dealing with post-COVID symptoms for some time, a perspective.
Treatment plan
Recently, a working group of post-COVID experts, together with patient organizations, developed a post-COVID care plan. Within it, the most promising treatments have been brought together that will be applied. The overview of the most promising treatments was created based on scientific literature, experiences at home and abroad and expert opinion the agreements on diagnostics.
Scientific research into new treatment methods and the underlying pathology is coordinated by the PCNN. The translation of research results into recommendations for practice will be carried out by the PCNN and the Post-Covid Expertise Team of the Federation of Medical Specialists in collaboration with the NHG and the Knowledge Institute. In the process, the knowledge gained in the centers of expertise should eventually also benefit patients with other post-acute infectious syndromes (PAIS). This makes the care and research of patients with post-COVID, and ultimately all PAIS patients, unique in the world.
National network
The MUMCs are therefore starting with three centers, but they have expressed the ambition to establish a national expertise network in which the experience and knowledge gained will be shared with general hospitals, general practitioners and other care providers. The collaboration with the PCCN should also contribute to this.
Starting 'small', with three centers, also has advantages, say the initiators. It allows them to open the doors of the centers of expertise more quickly and adjust more flexibly, where necessary. “This allows the fastest possible transition to providing the best post-COVID care to larger groups of patients. With the start of the post-COVID centers of expertise, centrally coordinated expertise will now be developed around diagnosis and treatment. This will take place in close relation to the scientific research that is already taking place,” according to the collaborating umc's.
And that adjustment will certainly be necessary. Currently, also in the Netherlands, a lot of research is still being done into post-COVID. Last month, ZonMw opened a new subsidy round for post-COVID research, with a focus on prevention, risk factors, screening and diagnostics and (drug) treatment.
