Roles of community nurses in health promotion for people living with long covid

Abstract

Long COVID is a condition that develops after being infected with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19. Most Long COVID patients have long-lasting COVID symptoms after initial recovery for the first 3 months. Patients have abnormal conditions that can persist for more than one year, impacting their normal lives in physical and mental aspects, including their relations with family members and society. To reduce such impact, people with a history of COVID-19 infection should have sufficient knowledge of their condition and practice taking proper care of their health. They should receive proper care from community health workers. In these cases, community nurses play an important role in preventing the effects of Long COVID. The purpose of this article was to encourage community nurses to gain knowledge in understanding the role of health promotion for people with Long COVID. Roles consist of health care providers, educators, empowerment agents to encourage self-care, consultants, communicators of clear information, advocates of health rights, collaborators, good role models, and change agents in the next normal lifestyle practice. In addition, being a leader or member of the nursing profession creates networking between communities and collaborate with multi-disciplinary health professionals in determining the direction of caring for people living with long COVID in the community. This can help prevent and control long-term complications of COVID-19. However, the application of such roles starts with screening by village health volunteers and continues through the provision of holistic care by community nurses, who can coordinate referrals to hospitals with a higher potential for continuity of care. In addition, it is essential to integrate collaboration with other fields of health care to ensure the continuation of care and to prepare for other emerging epidemic situations.