The Power of Simple Solutions

Long Covid has presented those impacted, as well as the research and clinical communities, with a complex problem to understand and solve. Over the years, people have used many different philosophies and systems to solve complex problems. Among those who dedicate their careers to studying and accelerating innovation and problem solving, approaches from people like Dr. Walter Shewhart, Dr W. Edwards and Bill Smith are familiar. All have informed many of the processes that companies and organizations regularly use today (including systematic ways of using data, using evidence to drive continual improvement and Six Sigma).  

Each problem that needs to be solved is unique but, thankfully, there are time-tested ways to approach problems that can help solve other complex issues. These tools are used to solve engineering problems, improve manufacturing efficiency,  and improve processes in the hospitality industry. They have also been widely adopted in the health care improvement space as tools to help organizations use data and evidence to get to the root of issues and generate solutions. I have been lucky to work with these concepts throughout my career. 

When I was impacted by COVID and Long Covid, I went back to these tools to find a path forward and a way to resolve my new complex condition. When Andrea and I consider how to support others to manage Long Covid symptoms with practical solutions, we draw on these processes as well. 

All effective approaches to solving complex problems do five things:

• Evidence based - use available data and information to understand what is happening and why, so that all the work to find a solution is based on an understanding of what is happening 
• Embrace complexity - resist the temptation to oversimplify things when it is important to understand some of the complexity or, in the case of a multi-system condition like Long Covid, understand what is known and what we don’t know yet, and leave room for further learning and development as part of the the near term solutions created
• Take account of how systems work, and how people behave - and by this we mean how systems and people really act and function, not how they are supposed to on an organizational chart. This way you can take account of, and work with, patterns and needs of people who will have to implement any changes
• Parsimonious - try to find simplest approach that gets nearest to the root cause
• Consider unintended consequences - consider some of the ways the solution could not work the way it was supposed to, and design features to help channel things even more toward the outcome you want

It is vital to have data and evidence that informs this work, and this is especially true in the Long Covid space. It is important to make sure material is grounded in evidence. There are limited clinical solutions available at the moment. The online community of people impacted by Long Covid has been an amazing source of information and support. In our case, we have found the comments and reflections from the Long Covid community offer a rich view of people’s experience, what they struggle with and what is more manageable. This serves as valuable context to help understand people’s experience, and what may be practical for them. Research provides a deeper understanding of what is happening in people’s bodies and what will help them feel better. Together, this provides a picture of what is happening in people’s biology, what they are experiencing and what solutions may practically fit the needs of those impacted.      

It is important to not over engineer solutions, opting for steps that are practical to do and are impactful. The most effective solutions also take account of the human element, making sure that processes fit culture, abilities and what can be done within constraints people face.    

As part of our approach, we have identified simple actions and movements that target factors that affect Long Covid symptoms. These are also actions that people impacted by Long Covid have the ability to do. They include things like specific eye movements, breath work and gentle mobilization of different joints in the body. These help the brain and body (including the immune system, central nervous system and other metabolic processes) get back into balance, and reduce Long Covid symptoms. These tools can be used on their own to support people to feel more like themselves, or can complement other interventions where recommended by a clinician. 

We worked to develop a focused set of actions and “tools'' for people to draw from to support them to manage Long Covid symptoms. Alongside this, we share self assessment processes so that people can identify which of these simple tools has the largest impact for them. This allows people to further refine their “toolkit” and determine a set of simple actions that they can complete in a couple of minutes each day.     

There is still a lot to learn about Long Covid but, fortunately, research over the last four years has provided a good deal of knowledge and insight. To be able to take action to reduce symptoms, it is important to understand what to do, why it is helpful and how to do it - and to know that a set of simple, small actions can be impactful. 

We have seen the life changing benefit that doing small and simple actions regularly can have in reducing the impact and severity of Long Covid symptoms.

Warmly,
Katie