Table 2 Overview of Fit after COVID modules
Module name | Instrument and cut-off score | Brief description of module content |
|---|---|---|
1. Goal setting |  | - Psychoeducation regarding the cognitive behavioural model of post-infectious fatigue following COVID-19. - Patients set treatment goals in concrete activities that will be performed when the patient’s impairments and fatigue are alleviated. |
2. Sleep-wake pattern | Sleep diary ISI ≥ 10 | - Targets a disrupted sleep-wake pattern. - Patients establish a regular sleep-wake pattern and follow sleep-hygiene practices. - Patients are encouraged to stop sleeping or lying down at daytime. |
3. Helpful thinking | J-FCS ≥ 16 IMQ ≥ 30 SES ≤ 19 | - Targets dysfunctional cognitions regarding fatigue. - Patients learn to identify unhelpful thoughts and replace them with helpful thoughts, gain more self-efficacy and learn to focus less on their fatigue. - Patients learn to redirect their attention away from bodily symptoms. |
4. Social support a | SSL-D ≥ 14 SSL-I ≥ 50 | - Targets low perceived social support and negative interactions. - Patients learn how to communicate with significant others about their fatigue, be assertive and adapt expectations about their environment. |
5. Graded activity | Activity pattern (actigraph), relatively active vs. low active | - Targets a low or fluctuating physical activity pattern. - Patients with low activity pattern start with gradual increase in their daily physical activity. - Patients with a relative active activity pattern learn first to evenly distribute their activities during the day and then subsequently gradually increase their daily activity. |
6. Processing the acute phase of COVID-19 a | IES, subscales ≥ 10 | - Targets emotional problems of patients who did not process the acute phase of COVID-19. - Patients are helped to process negative experiences from the acute phase of their illness. |
7. Fear and worries regarding COVID-19 a | COWS ≥ 10 | - Targets excessive fears and worries regarding COVID-19. - Patients record what the content of their fear and worries is regarding COVID-19. - Patients learn to formulate helpful thoughts and to distance themselves from their anxious thoughts. |
8. Coping with pain a | Subscale pain of the SF-36 ≤ 40 | - Targets dysfunctional cognitions with respect to pain. - Patients are helped to deal with pain in such a way that it does not limit them during the gradual increase of activities. |
9. Realising goals | Â | - Patients make an action plan to work on their formulated treatment goals, like increasing social and mental activities. - Patients learn about the difference between severe fatigue and normal fatigue. - Patients learn to let go of the regular sleep-wake pattern and even distribution of activities. - Patients evaluate their progress. |