{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T02:11:06Z","timestamp":1789524666926,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,22]],"date-time":"2021-03-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1616371200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Health Expectations"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,6]]},"abstract":"Abstract<\/jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>The coronavirus disease (COVID\u201019) pandemic has had far\u2010reaching effects upon lives, healthcare systems and society. Some who had an apparently 'mild' COVID\u201019 infection continue to suffer from persistent symptoms, including chest pain, breathlessness, fatigue, cognitive impairment, paraesthesia, muscle and joint pains. This has been labelled 'long COVID'. This paper reports the experiences of doctors with long COVID.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Methods<\/jats:title>A qualitative study; interviews with doctors experiencing persistent symptoms were conducted by telephone or video call. Interviews were transcribed and analysis conducted using an inductive and thematic approach.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Results<\/jats:title>Thirteen doctors participated. The following themes are reported: making sense of symptoms, feeling let down, using medical knowledge and connections, wanting to help and be helped, combining patient and professional identity. Experiencing long COVID can be transformative: many expressed hope that good would come of their experiences. Distress related to feelings of being \u2018let down\u2019 and the hard work of trying to access care. Participants highlighted that they felt better able to care for, and empathize with, patients with chronic conditions, particularly where symptoms are unexplained.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Conclusions<\/jats:title>The study adds to the literature on the experiences of doctors as patients, in particular where evidence is emerging and the patient has to take the lead in finding solutions to their problems and accessing their own care.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Patient and Public contribution<\/jats:title>The study was developed with experts by experience (including co\u2010authors HA and TAB) who contributed to the protocol and ethics application, and commented on analysis and implications. All participants were given the opportunity to comment on findings.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1111\/hex.13223","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,22]],"date-time":"2021-03-22T12:50:06Z","timestamp":1616417406000},"page":"833-842","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":78,"title":["'Reluctant pioneer': A qualitative study of doctors' experiences as patients with long COVID"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"24","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8149-3841","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anna K.","family":"Taylor","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine Leeds Institute of Health Sciences Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds Leeds UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9179-2303","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tom","family":"Kingstone","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Keele University Keele UK"},{"name":"Research and Innovation Department St George's Hospital Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Stafford UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5208-2691","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tracy A.","family":"Briggs","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Evolution and Genomic Sciences School of Biological Sciences Manchester University Manchester UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5368-3779","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Catherine A.","family":"O'Donnell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"General Practice & Primary Care Institute of Health & Wellbeing University of Glasgow Glasgow UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7072-1925","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Helen","family":"Atherton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit of Academic Primary Care Warwick Medical School University of Warwick Coventry UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3872-3621","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"David N.","family":"Blane","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"General Practice & Primary Care Institute of Health & Wellbeing University of Glasgow Glasgow UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9722-9981","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carolyn A.","family":"Chew\u2010Graham","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Keele University Keele UK"},{"name":"Research and Innovation Department St George's Hospital Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Stafford UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_11_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.eclinm.2020.100518"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_3_1","unstructured":"UK Government.Coronavirus (COVID\u201019) in the UK. 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