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The research team at the University of Nottingham are calling for creative expressions to understand people’s experiences of long covid.
The team are exploring how personal thoughts and impressions can help healthcare professionals to better understand what it's like living with long covid and also to inform treatment.
They are interested in any creative entries expressed in the form of a short story, scenes, poems, letters, diary entries, mind maps, song lyrics, photos, drawings, paintings or any other creative means. As part of this research, they are looking into ways of expressing long covid experiences either by someone directly affected or as a partner, parent, carer, friend or colleague.
Working in collaboration with the University of Nottingham and Scottish Ballet, the East Midlands Academic Health Science Network will host the submissions on its website.
Find out more and upload your creative written material (stories, poems, etc.) here until 31st Oct. 2021:
https://nottingham.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/creative-long-covid-open-until-31102021
For queries regarding submissions please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Who is doing this research and why?
Long Covid is not well researched. This study aims to gather insights from those who are affected by it, either directly (patients) or indirectly (carers, friends, families, co-workers, peers, healthcare professionals).
Who is involved in the project?
Dr Heike Bartel, who leads this research, is the Associate Professor in Modern Languages and Cultures, and Fellow of the Institute of Mental Health. She is not a clinical doctor but an expert in narratives (‘stories’) of illness, health and recovery using written, oral (e.g., songs, performed poetry) and non-verbal (e.g., painting, dance) means of communication. She has led several projects where patients share personal experiences of chronic illness and her work is being used in training for General Practitioners (GPs), nurses, medical students, charities and others. More information on her work can be found here.
Dr Gail Allsopp, who co-leads the research, is EMAHSN’s Medical Director, and is a GP and Associate Professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham and is the national long covid lead for the Royal College of General Practitioners, in addition to working in a Midlands based post-Covid clinic.
Mark Pearson, who co-leads the study, is Assistant Professor in Mental Health at the University Nottingham and project lead for ‘Surviving by Storytelling’ at the Institute of mental health. More information on his work can be found here.
Dr Prerna Singh is Research Fellow for this study at the East Midlands Academic Health Science Network
Ellie Abbey is an MA student in psychology at the University of Nottingham.
Twitter: @covid_creative