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Self-reported physical function was better for long COVID patients after a brief outpatient program based on cognitive and behavioral therapy, a pragmatic trial in Norway showed.

Scores on the Short-Form Health Survey 36 Physical Function Subscale (SF-36-PFS), a 100-point scale with higher scores reflecting better physical functioning, improved in the intervention group compared with usual care (difference 9.2 points, 95% CI 4.3-14.2, P<0.001; Cohen d = 0.43), reported Tom Farmen Nerli, MD, of Vestfold Hospital Trust in Tønsberg, Norway, and co-authors.

The between-group difference was nearly identical at long-term follow-up (12 months after enrollment), indicating a sustained effect, Nerli and colleagues wrote in JAMA Network Open.

Most other measures of functional capability and symptom scores showed more improvement in the intervention group. Adverse events in the intervention group were fewer compared with usual care.

"Patients can recover from post-COVID condition," Nerli said. "This intervention is effective and safe. The treatment is brief, but giving patients an explanation they can relate to, an explanation for their symptoms, is important," he told MedPage Today. Head over to MedPage Today to read more about it.