When the first wave of the coronavirus hit, it became clear that there is a chance that patients will develop (long-term) symptoms after infection. Because it was a novel virus, often these patients did not receive the specialist care and guidance they needed. In the initial phase doctors simply did not know enough about the long-term consequences of a corona infection.

In order to help and support these patients, we developed Coronaplein.nu in collaboration with Longfonds. “The corona virus brought just how important your lungs are into sharp focus,” says Michael Rutgers, director of Longfonds. “We fight for people with lung diseases and for everyone who has long-term complaints after corona virus infection.”

Coronaplein.nu gives patients with (long-term) complaints after corona a place to find validated information. It is important that Coronaplein.nu is a place for information, tips/advice for recovery after corona and stories from corona patients and healthcare providers.

Talking to each other

To offer people recognition and to make them feel that they are not the only ones with (long-term) complaints after corona, the platform offers fellow sufferers the opportunity to talk to each other. Users can share experiences, discuss possible treatments and offer each other support.

Advice from healthcare professionals

Low-threshold contact with healthcare professionals is another resource. People can find answers to their questions from healthcare professionals in webinars, through a telephone advice line or an online questionnaire.

Map complaints

Concrete complaints and needs are mapped out and monitored via the platform. This is another important function of Coronaplein.nu for users and healthcare professionals and it is also a helpful way to gain more insight into the disease. It presents us with a picture of the medical and psychosocial problems that we face today, and in the future.

When corona got a foothold in the Netherlands at the beginning of 2020, Longfonds immediately saw the need for a place to connect people with (long-term) complaints after corona infection. It was therefore of great importance to develop the platform and go live as quickly as possible. We developed Coronaplein.nu in only 2.5 weeks, which is a record even for us. That was only possible because we used the Drupal 8 CMS. We were able to draw on everything Drupal 8 has to offer out-of-the-box, to develop a fully-fledged community platform super fast. Drupal 8 also offers a high degree of privacy for visitors and customisation is easy thanks to Drupal's modular working method.

The UX design and digital design serve the platform to deliver a pleasant user experience. Clear design makes it easy to navigate the platform, and visitors are never far away from the right information.

Major exposure for Coronaplein.nu

The popularity of the platform has generated a lot of national and international press attention. CNN, Het Parool and RTL Nieuws, among others, reported on the new platform.

After delivery of the first version, there was no time to just sit and wait. A broader range of non lung-related complaints were reported. The need to expand the platform into an online community for everyone with (long-term) COVID-19-related complaints couldn’t be ignored.

Expanding collaboration

After it became clear that corona is a systemic disease that affects multiple organs, collaboration was sought with patient associations and health funds, including Hersenstichting, Harteraad, Trombosestichting, Reuksmaakstoornis.nl, MLDS and Hartstichting.

Along with this the user experience council experts ensures the input of patient perspectives and intensive contact is maintained with the Facebook group for corona patients with long-term complaints.