Nasleep Corona (Pagina 5 van 5)

How to avoid excessive exertion
It is estimated that around 200,000 people in Switzerland suffer from Long Covid, and there is still no medication to treat the disease. This is why many patients are currently using a strategy known as pacing to manage their symptoms. The strategy involves patients carefully planning and managing – or pacing –  their physical activities to avoid overexertion and “crashes”. For example, they record how many hours they sleep, they measure their body temperature or write down their symptoms and physical activities in an activity diary. However, keeping track of all these things by hand is very difficult when you’re suffering from fatigue, joint pain or brain fog – all of which are common symptoms experienced by Long Covid patients.

No effective digital tools
“There are currently no digital tools that provide patients with effective support for activity pacing, even though sensors that could provide important data for this already exist,” says Meyer-Baron, who has also researched the use of biometric sensors.  Smartwatches, for example, can be used to monitor a person’s physical activity and health-related data. “However, current applications are geared toward increasing a person’s activity,” says Cervia-Hasler. The two researchers therefore decided to develop their own application.

Setting limits
The innovative digital platform, which the researchers dubbed MindfulPacer, includes a smartwatch application as well as a smartphone app. The smartwatch monitors the patients’ heart rate and step count, providing feedback in real time, while the app provides an intuitive visualization of their biometric data. Patients can then use this information to set individual limits for their heart rate or daily step count, for example. These limits are linked to a warning system that alerts patients through the display of the smartwatch. A green display means that values are normal, whereas orange or red indicates that the limits set by the user are about to be reached or have already been exceeded. If this happens, the smartwatch will vibrate and sound an alarm. In addition, users are prompted to make a note of what caused the alarm as well as how they are feeling in the app.

Improved symptom awareness
This alarm function helps users to reflect on their activities and improve awareness of their symptoms. Integrating a patient’s individual data into the visualization enables them to better understand where their limits are and adjust them accordingly. “MindfulPacer makes it easier for people with Long Covid to recognize patterns in their heart rate and step count, which helps them regulate their daily physical activity. This empowers them to manage their disease,” says Cervia-Hasler. “MindfulPacer is a simple tool that helps patients help themselves,” adds Meyer-Baron.