Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41218624›Full record

ArticlePneumologie (Stuttgart, Germany)2026

[Healthcare Situation of 3,345 Long COVID Patients in Germany: Results of a Nationwide Survey].

Rainer Gloeckl, Roland Rischer, Tessa Schneeberger, Inga Jarosch, Christine Blome, Rembert Koczulla

Abstract readEnglish Abstract
In one paragraph

Article in Pneumologie (Stuttgart, Germany), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Rainer GloecklForschungsinstitut für Pneumologische Rehabilitation, Schön Klinik Berchtesgadener Land, Schönau am Königssee, Deutschland.ORCID 0000-0002-2741-2748
Roland RischerBundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Selbsthilfe von Menschen mit Behinderung, chronischer Erkrankung und ihren Angehörigen e.V., (BAG SELBSTHILFE), Düsseldorf, Deutschland.
Tessa SchneebergerForschungsinstitut für Pneumologische Rehabilitation, Schön Klinik Berchtesgadener Land, Schönau am Königssee, Deutschland.
Inga JaroschForschungsinstitut für Pneumologische Rehabilitation, Schön Klinik Berchtesgadener Land, Schönau am Königssee, Deutschland.
Christine BlomeInstitut für Versorgungsforschung in der Dermatologie und bei Pflegeberufen (IVDP) & Hamburg Center for Health Economics, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Deutschland.
Rembert KoczullaForschungsinstitut für Pneumologische Rehabilitation, Schön Klinik Berchtesgadener Land, Schönau am Königssee, Deutschland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Long COVID includes persistent symptoms after SARS CoV 2 infection and leads to multiple physical and psychosocial burdens.Between March and April 2025, a nationwide sample of long COVID patients was recruited by means of an anonymous online survey. Demographic parameters, symptoms, use of outpatient/inpatient care services and subjective satisfaction with care were recorded.In total, 3345 people (average age 49 ± 13 years; 81.5% women) completed the survey. 83.8% reported a medically confirmed long COVID diagnosis, with a further 12.2% reporting a post-vac syndrome. The average duration of symptoms was 2.8 ± 1.1 years, with only 36.4% reporting an improvement in their symptoms over time. Almost nine out of ten patients (89.1%) were on long-term sick leave (average 1.8 ± 1.3 years), 70.8% reported total or partial incapacity for work and 46.4% applied for a pension. General practitioner care was the first point of contact for 75.7%. Over the course of the illness, 93% consulted more than three and 21.5% more than ten different doctors. Personal financial contributions were high: 41.4% invested more than € 1,000 and 11.3% more than € 10,000 in diagnostics or therapy. 60% received a rehabilitation intervention. Overall, 97.2% rated their care as "poor" or "very poor".This survey highlights a high and persistent burden among long COVID patients, as well as significant socioeconomic consequences, accompanied by a predominantly negative evaluation of the current care situation. Improvements require structured, easily accessible, and cross-sectoral services. Improving the primary care system, establishing clear referral pathways, and (where clinically indicated) integrating rehabilitative interventions into an interdisciplinary care concept could help to improve the care situation of patients with long COVID.

Indexed as

COVID-19AdultAgedFemaleGermanyHumansMaleMiddle AgedPost-Acute COVID-19 SyndromeSARS-CoV-2Sick Leave

Identifiers

PMID41218624
PMCPMC13090092

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.