QuaranTrain- online support for good health and well-being during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Posted on by BMJ

https://quarantrain.org/ and follow us on Twitter @quarantraining

COVID-191 is spreading rapidly around the world, with more and more people experiencing the health, economic and social consequences of this pandemic.

As health professionals, we can, and should, take responsibility and act where we can in prevention, support and togetherness to promote physical activity and good health habits. As Landry mentioned, we (specifically as physiotherapists) must see ourselves as participants in healthcare2 and as (upcoming) health care professionals we can help to support social connection, physical activity, hygiene advocacy: with friendliness and compassion.

An increasing part of the population is currently under self-isolation or even in quarantine. In this situation, we need to protect and care for each other and our society in all the ways we can. We have learned from previous lessons in pandemic situations (such as SARS3) where Hawryluck et al. describe longer durations of quarantine were associated with increased prevalence of Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder (PTSD) symptoms4. Based upon the experiences in Wuhan China, Chen et al. clearly advocate for the importance of physical activity as means for healthy living during this pandemic5.

The situation of a pandemic in itself is a stressor, and the circumstances of self-isolation or quarantine also influence the experienced stress because they create conflicts in our ways of living4,6. It can be hard to find the motivation and opportunities to be physically active when you are limited by the four walls in your house and many people will feel that the social deprivation is hard to handle7. This will have an impact on one’s own perception of health and sense of coherence6, coherence between comprehension, meaning and manageability as normal resources are gone or changed. It will be critical to find existing and create new physical activity resources to support people to strengthen their health potential and sense of coherence8. We know with shared purpose, collaboration, and physical activity whole-system approaches, we can support these resources9 10 11.

Knowing and understanding these health and societal impacts, we as health care professionals need to take responsibility in this time of complexity and uncertainty. As Rebecca Solnit describes: “hope locates itself in the premises that we don’t know what will happen and that in the spaciousness of uncertainty is room to act”12. We have a duty of care to bring our knowledge and capabilities into action and act.

We created QuaranTrain with this shared purpose based on these beliefs and values. QuaranTrain is an open and democratic movement, connecting upcoming health care professionals around the world, promoting good health in this difficult situation. We will create online materials that are customized to the need in society, which follow and advocate the WHO guidelines concerning COVID-191 16, the 2018-2030 Global Action Plan on Physical Activity (GAPPA)8 and national guidance.

QuaranTrain is a crowd sourced model, developed in a time of rapid change. The platform delivers an opportunity for upcoming and present health care professionals to collaborate, construct and share resources and e-interact to support people across the globe. We started as a joint venture of learners within the Delta-stream physiotherapy program at HAN University of Applied Sciences Netherlands 13 teaming up with @exerciseworks, and quickly connecting with many international Universities and health care professionals. We initiated vlogs and other media in multiple languages to build and sustain a global community. QuaranTrain is also designed to be an open-ended collaborative in which all can join, to use social movement and innovation methodology. This approach is key to anticipate the current and future uncertainties of knowledge and best practice, but responsibly adapt to the complex health issues that the Covid-19 crisis has generated14,15.

This means inspiring new ways to create active societies, active environments, active people and active systems. Our philosophy is simple: “If not us, then who – and if not now, then when” Martin Ongwen (@Kenyanphysio).

Please join us!

Joost van Wijchen, PT, MSc  @jowi12 joost.vanwijchen@han.nl

Samantha Meijer, MSc  @SamanthaMeijer samanthaymeijer@me.com

Meike Geurtsen @GeurtsenMeike meike.geurtsen@hotmail.com

Wim Oerlemans, PT  @PCfysio wim.oerlemans@han.nl

Karlijn Snoeijs @KarlijnSnoeijs kcp.snoeijs@student.han.nl

Sil Groenveld silgroenveld@hotmail.com

Femke Waardenburg waardenburgf@gmail.com

Jan Wesseling @janmfwesseling janwesseling@live.nl

Jaap Miessen jaap300@hotmail.nl

Ruud Sanders @RuudSanders3 ruud.sanders@live.nl

Roger Kerry, Physiotherapist, PhD @RogerKerry1

John Gates, Physiotherapist @gatesphysio

Ann Gates @exerciseworks

***

References

  1. WHO. Coronavirus disease 2019. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019. Published 2020. Accessed March 18, 2020.
  2. Landry MD. Coronavirus and Physiotherapy: Managing in Complexity with Mike Landry – Global Physio Podcast. Global Physio Podcast. https://globalphysio.ca/coronavirus-and-physiotherapy-managing-in-complexity-with-mike-landry/. Published 2020. Accessed March 22, 2020.
  3. Mak IWC, Chu CM, Pan PC, Yiu MGC, Ho SC, Chan VL. Risk factors for chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in SARS survivors. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2010;32(6):590-598. doi:10.1016/J.GENHOSPPSYCH.2010.07.007
  4. Hawryluck L, Gold WL, Robinson S, Pogorski S, Galea S, Styra R. SARS control and psychological effects of quarantine, Toronto, Canada. Emerg Infect Dis. 2004;10(7):1206-1212. doi:10.3201/eid1007.030703
  5. Chen P, Mao L, Nassis GP, Harmer P, Ainsworth BE, Li F. Wuhan coronavirus (2019-nCoV): The need to maintain regular physical activity while taking precautions. J Sport Heal Sci. 2020;9(2):103-104. doi:10.1016/j.jshs.2020.02.001
  6. Eriksson M. The Sense of Coherence in the Salutogenic Model of Health. Springer; 2017. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-04600-6_11
  7. Qiu J, Shen B, Zhao M, Wang Z, Xie B, Xu Y. A nationwide survey of psychological distress among Chinese people in the COVID-19 epidemic: implications and policy recommendations. Gen Psychiatry. 2020;33(2):e100213. doi:10.1136/gpsych-2020-100213
  8. Lindström B, Eriksson M. Contextualizing salutogenesis and Antonovsky in public health development. Health Promot Int. 2006;21(3):238-244. doi:10.1093/heapro/dal016
  9. Gates AB, Kerry R, Moffatt F, et al. Movement for movement: exercise as everybody’s business? Br J Sports Med. 2017;51(10):767-768. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2016-096857
  10. Rosenbaum S, Ward PB, Baldeo R, et al. Changing health workforce attitudes to promote improved physical health in mental health service users: Keeping our Staff in Mind (KoSiM). Heal Promot J Aust. January 2020:hpja.320. doi:10.1002/hpja.320
  11. Rebar AL, Stanton R, Wells R, Steel Z, Rosenbaum S. Feeling states of people experiencing depression, anxiety, or comorbid depression and anxiety symptoms during a multi-day charity cycling ride: An ecological momentary assessment study. Psychol Sport Exerc. 2020;47:101489. doi:10.1016/J.PSYCHSPORT.2019.02.004
  12. Solnit R. Hope in the Dark : The Untold History of People Power. Canongate; 2005. https://books.google.nl/books/about/Hope_in_the_Dark.html?id=SlAfAQAAIAAJ&source=kp_cover&redir_esc=y. Accessed September 30, 2019.
  13. van Wijchen J. Guided choice-based learning – In beta Podcast #4. In Beta | experiments in physiotherapy education. https://inbeta.uwc.ac.za/2018/02/09/4-guided-choice-based-learning/. Published 2018. Accessed October 2, 2019.
  14. van Niekerk L, Chater R, Naydenova E, et al. Social Innovation in Health: Case Studies and Lessons Learned from Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Geneva; 2017. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/259187/9789241513098-eng.pdf. Accessed April 10, 2019.
  15. SIC. How to set up a process of social innovation | SIC. Social Innovation Community. https://www.siceurope.eu/learning-portal/experimental-hubs/how-set-process-social-innovation. Accessed March 22, 2020.
  16. WHO Europe. Stay physically active during self-quarantine. http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/health-emergencies/coronavirus-covid-19/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-technical-guidance/stay-physically-active-during-self-quarantine/_recache?fbclid=IwAR1cPgxmh6YKThZFmiKCChCe8HJtfEbhR3ptpwlzNhv7cN6LEs5hHpwc_to#art. Accessed March 20, 2020.

 

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