6 Follow‑up, monitoring and discharge

Guidance

These recommendations are for healthcare professionals providing care for people with ongoing symptomatic COVID-19 or post-COVID-19 syndrome in any setting, including primary care and community settings, secondary care and rehabilitation services.

6.1

Use shared decision making to decide how often follow‑up and monitoring are needed, which healthcare professionals should be involved and whether appointments should be carried out in person or remotely. Take into account:

the person's needs and the services involved
the person's symptoms, including new or worsening symptoms, and the effects of these on the person's life and wellbeing
availability, clinical suitability and the person's preferences for in-person or remote appointments. [2020, amended 2021]

6.2

Be alert to symptoms developing that could mean referral or investigation is needed, following recommendations in section 2 on assessment. [2020]

6.3

Use shared decision making to discuss and agree plans for discharge from rehabilitation and care, taking into account the person's preferences, goals and social support. Follow local referral pathways to enable re‑referral if needed. [2021]

For a short explanation of why the panel made these recommendations, see the rationale section on follow-up, monitoring and discharge.

Full details of the evidence and the panel's discussion are in: