Development of a voice-based digital health solution to remotely monitor symptoms related to Long COVID in real life

Résumé fourni par la source

Four years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is estimated that almost 100 million people worldwide are suffering from long-term consequences, defined under the umbrella term of Long Covid. The development of remote monitoring solutions has been recommended by the National Institute for Health Excellence (NICE), and the use of voice and vocal biomarkers is particularly relevant in this context. This thesis project consists of two axes. The first one aims to improve knowledge on Long COVID based on data from the Predi-COVID cohort in Luxembourg, and on the other, to develop an innovative voice-based digital health solution to monitor the health of people affected by Long Covid. We have shown that Long Covid is not a single entity, but appears to be made up of sub-phenotypes of varying severity, and that symptoms tend to occur in clusters. Trajectories of symptom evolution from initial infection to 2 years later were modeled, showing that 30% of Predi-COVID participants experienced high levels of persisting symptoms, with a strong impact on their quality of life at 2 years, and a predominance of fatigue and anxiety. These data underline the need for innovative tools to enable personalized management. The UpcomingVoice study described the needs and expectations of people affected by Long Covid in terms of a digital, voice-based symptom-tracking solution, defined the expected specifications and allowed the development of a first version of the Long Covid Companion application. This application, created for and with people affected by Long COVID, provides a concrete response to their needs, enabling them to monitor their health and symptoms on a daily basis, providing a graphic visualization that can be used as a basis for discussion with healthcare professionals, and offering validated resources on Long COVID. Long COVID Companion is the first application of its kind accessible to all, free of charge and in 3 languages. This thesis project thus has a direct impact on people with Long COVID, providing them with a tool to support them in their daily lives. The Long COVID Companion application also represents a virtual cohort of people with Long Covid, making it an additional unique resource for research on Long COVID and vocal biomarkers. Collaborations have been set up with the #Apresj20 Covid long France association, as well as with specialized COVID Long care networks in Luxembourg and France, and will contribute to improving knowledge on Long COVID. Finally, further studies to assess the potential clinical benefit of Long COVID Companion and improvements to obtain medical device certification are envisaged to ensure that this tool is fully integrated into the care of people living with Long COVID.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.