Through talking with COVID-19 patients and their family caregivers, the HEART research team at University of Michigan recognized the need for better COVID-19 caregiving resources. The interdisciplinary team co-created a guidebook with input from the participants of HEART. This guidebook aims to help those hospitalized and recovering from COVID-19.
“In the last nine months, health care professionals have gained more experience with the medical side of COVID-19 care, but every patient and caregiver has been going through it for the first time, each time,” says Theodore J. Iwashyna, M.D., Ph.D., who inspired the development of the guides. “We needed to create a resource that distills the patients’ and caregivers’ best advice into practical guides to help others, from the start of serious symptoms through hospitalization and recovery. We plan to apply for funding to research the effectiveness of the guides.”
These guides are free, printable electronic publications filled with easy-to-understand practical advice and places to record important information. The guidebook draws on reputable sources including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and Michigan Medicine, U-M’s academic medical center.
These guides are now available to the public, with editable versions available on request by writing to [email protected]. The guides are available on the Michigan Medicine website: http://michmed.org/COVIDcareworkbook. For more information, read the full press release: http://michmed.org/kva88.
Support for the creation of these materials provided by: the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, Michigan Medicine, and the Procter & Gamble Company.