A study published in JAMA Network Open shows that telemedicine cognitive training achieves significantly better results than standard treatment in long Covid patients with concentration problems. After three months, participants reached their self-set goals on average 2.88 times better.
London, July 8, 2026
A British study involving Martina Vanova from University College London demonstrates that a telemedicine cognitive training program measurably reduces everyday impairments of long Covid patients more than conventional aftercare.
Long Covid is defined as an infection-associated chronic illness that occurs after a SARS-CoV-2 infection and lasts at least three months. According to the study authors, more than 27 percent of Covid-19 survivors experience persistent cognitive impairments. According to the Deutsches Ärzteblatt, these include deficits in executive functions, processing speed, attention, memory, as well as in visuospatial and language abilities.
About a quarter of long Covid patients also suffer from cognitive problems with concentration disorders, "Brain Fog" and other brain performance deficits, according to the report. The number of those affected has been and continues to rise sharply due to Covid-19 illnesses, making the search for effective therapies more urgent.
In the randomized study, subjects received either a newly developed telemedicine program with individual support or the previously usual standard aftercare over a defined period. Ten one-hour therapy sessions via telemedicine in the intervention group were compared to a standard approach in the control group.
The primary endpoint was the participant-reported achievement of three defined goals, wrote the German Ärztezeitung. At the beginning, subjects had only an average of 2.9 points on a ten-point scale in terms of goal achievement. The mean value for satisfaction with their own situation was only 2.2 on this scale.
The telemedicine sessions with individual support were effective: On average, the goal achievement value in this group after three months was 7.84 on the ten-point scale, while in the comparison group with standard treatment it was only 4.97. This meant the value in the treatment group was 2.88 times better, corresponding to a large effect.
Even after six months, a statistically significant difference between the two groups was still recorded, amounting to 1.72 points. The authors interpret this as an indication that the benefit of the telemedicine therapy persists beyond the acute treatment period.
The results were published online in the American medical publication JAMA and picked up in the Deutsches Ärzteblatt (DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.20687). Among those involved was Martina Vanova from University College London, who co-developed the program.
Against the backdrop of rising patient numbers, experts see telemedicine cognitive rehabilitation as a potential building block to ease the care situation. Especially for people who cannot easily visit a practice or outpatient clinic, the format could facilitate access to specialized therapy. Further studies are intended to confirm the results in larger cohorts.
