CHRONIC ILLNESS ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY UPDATED

by Shane George

During the summer, I joined Patricia Fennell and Sara Rieder Bennett to update the Chronic Illness annotated bibliography at Oxford Bibliographies Online, a subscription-based bibliography database
 with articles on various topics published through Oxford University Press. Several novel discussions of chronic illness came out of this experience, and provided perspectives from which the experience of chronic illness could be understood in social work. The bibliography presents the nuances of chronic illness within various relevant contexts.

Among our inclusion of many newer editions of formerly cited works, several sections and subsections in the annotated bibliography were either removed, added, or revised to accurately reflect the current sociopolitical climate. For instance, the COVID-19 pandemic has birthed the persistent, long-form post-viral condition termed “Long Covid.” The condition’s similarities to other post-viral conditions has necessitated a new classification to describe them. Dr. Ken Friedman and colleagues (1) have termed this “Post Active Phase of Infection Syndrome,” or PAPIS. PAPIS as a classification may aid in shifting perspective on post-viral conditions, aiding in the search for shared treatment models as well.

In this vein, several updates involved caregiving and models of treatment/care. In addition to the importance of multidisciplinary treatment teams for chronic illnesses in medical care, treatments can also include occupational care. Functional medicine is increasingly appearing as a model of care that offers more patient-oriented treatment experiences. Meanwhile, psychological and behavioral methods have involved managing the various affective, behavioral, and cognitive challenges of experiencing a chronic illness. Division 12 of the American Psychological Association (2) describes behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, multi-component cognitive behavioral therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy as treatments for chronic conditions with greatest empirical support. Social work models assist patients manage their chronic illnesses by providing care in interventions, advocacy for health services, as well as through exploring various systems that define chronic illness treatment. Finally, new multidisciplinary perspectives posit the importance of integrated treatments. The Louis Armstrong Department of Music Therapy (3) of Mount Sinai Continuum Health Partners, for instance, involves music therapy in their provision of clinical care for chronic illnesses.

The greatest changes and updates occurred within the newly termed “Evolving Issues” section. Resources that discussed genetics and virology of chronic illness focused on the use of genetics research in aiding public health efforts. The use of mRNA vaccines in protecting against COVID-19 infections is a pertinent example of this, as discussed by Dr. Giuseppe Novelli and colleagues. (4) The formerly titled “Culturally Congruent Approaches” subsection became “Intersectional Approaches” so as to highlight the role of intersecting social identities in the experience of chronic illness. This subsection included a resource (5) on transgender and gender nonconforming identities as they relate to health.

Social unrest and war in the current world motivated another transition from veteran's health toward an inclusion of all people impacted by war. For instance, the World Health Organization (6) reports health concerns among refugees and migrants as a key point of action. Factors such as climate change are also discussed as they become more relevant. The final point of discussion included as an evolving issue is technology as it is used in communicating information, as well as its use at the assessment and treatment stages of interventions.

References

1. Kenneth J. Friedman, Modra Murovska, Derek F. H. Pheby, and Paweł Zalewski. 2021. Our evolving understanding of ME/CFS. Medicina 57:200.
2. Psychological Diagnoses and Other Targets of Treatment Chronic or Persistent Pain
3. Louis Armstrong Department of Music Therapy
4. Novelli, Giuseppe, Michela Biancolella, Tury, Mehrian-Shai, Vito Luigi Colona, Anderson F. Brito, Nathan D. Grubaugh, Vasilis Vasiliou, Lucio Luzzatto, and Juergen K.V. Reichardt. 2021. COVID-19 one year into the pandemic: From genetics and genomics to therapy, vaccination, and policy. Human Genomics 15: 1-13.
5. Current Research Trends in Transgender Health
6. World Report on the Health of Refugees and Migrants: Summary