MyBeFit@ZHAW – Training concept with exercise advice, assessment, and physical training

Result

The project MyBeFit@ZHAW will be completed at the end of June 2026 after one year. The project goals were all achieved and the service offer of MyBeFit@ZHAW is open to interested people at the ZHAW in the Thetriz and will further be developed as a training concept.

A core team has been formed at the ZHAW  with physiotherapy, occupational therapy and midwives for counselling and public relations. The core team exchanges information about rheumatism-related treatment and counselling and learns from each other's expertise in the other professions. The core team is involved in public relations work, e.g. when participating in congresses, websites, etc.

The training concept is a module or sub-module for BSc students and includes goals and learning objectives, theory on rheumatic diseases (symptom- and practice-oriented for PT, ET and HB), care models (including gaps in care and relevance), concepts of self-management, counseling, assessments (profession-specific) and referral (profession-specific). It is designed for cross-professional modules and includes learning formats such as eLearning, eCasts and practical components (counselling and assessment). A cooperation with the Rheumaliga and the SVMB will be established, where interested students can complete work shadowing or internships in order to have a better insight into the outpatient care of people with rheumatic diseases in the Winterthur area.

The Counselling services is published on the website of the Thetriz (ZHAW) and supported by the Swiss Association for Ankylosing Spondylitis (SVMB). MyBeFit offers those affected various options:
a) an appointment for an individual consultation
b) participation in the assessment days (1-2x/year) or
c) targeted patient training (1x/year).
The assessment days include profession-specific assessments and individual advice, while patient training also offers input from a specialist and general information on self-management, ergonomics and posture in everyday life.

The counselling service is summarized in a Short video in all national languages. The video is available on the website of Thetriz and is used for collaboration and networking.

Following the consultation, the appropriate offers in the Winterthur area are discussed and recommended with those affected. For this purpose, a developed mapping with rheumatism-related offers is used. In addition, cooperation and networking will be tackled in a targeted manner with individual providers in Winterthur, e.g. Geburtshaus Winterthur or Kantonspital Winterthur (KSW).

The funding for the project development will end at the end of June 2026. From then on, the MyBeFit advisory service will enter the implementation phase, for which follow-up financing is still being sought. Due to the multi-professionalism of the project and the openness to needs that address the expertise of other professionals, the interprofessional core team sees great potential in expanding the content and increasingly integrating it into the teaching of the various professions. The core team is open to ideas and feedback from interested parties.

The dissemination for the project development took place via various channels and different target and dialogue groups in order to achieve:

a) Short video in German, Italian, French
b) Target group-related contribution at Vertical
c) Submission as a presentation at the conference of the Swiss Society for Health Professionals for Rheumatism in Interlaken 2026
d) ZHAW internal communication "What's going on at the G?"
e) LinkedIn post with the release of the website for the counselling service at Thetriz

Description

The community of people with rheumatic diseases faces the challenge of understanding and implementing international exercise recommendations. Furthermore, activities of daily life are often challenged by insecurities or barrier through symptoms. This requires a kind of everyday translation service, which can be provided by trained experts, such as physio-, occupational therapists or midwivery.

Rheumatic diseases, or “rheumatism” for short, are a heterogeneous group of chronic inflammatory diseases that affect the musculoskeletal system and are characterized by pain, inflammation, and functional disorders. These diseases can include autoimmune diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, systemic lupus erythematosus) as well as degenerative or metabolic diseases (such as osteoarthritis, gout). Diseases such as rheumatism require a long-term strategy and treatment tailored to individual needs. People affected by rheumatism therefore benefit from education, counselling, and instruction so that they can manage their symptoms and complaints as effectively as possible in terms of their own health literacy, making their everyday lives easier.
The overall goal of the project is to implement and disseminate “MyBeFit” (assessment / counseling / exercise instruction) in Switzerland by establishing a service for the community at the ZHAW as part of the network in the Winterthur area. The service focuses on people with rheumatic diseases in the Winterthur area, providing them with individual counseling and thereby improving their access to targeted, evidence-based training.

Project objectives

Specific project objectives are:

1. Development of a concept for cooperation between teaching at the ZHAW and MyBeFit from the Bechterew's Disease Association (SVMB). Establishment and expansion of the existing SVMB-ZHAW cooperation.
2. Creating an offering for younger people with rheumatism in the Winterthur area in particular, which is compatible with everyday (working) life, as the main aim is to promote self-management and self-efficacy.
3. Creating a basis for networking between various specialists in the Winterthur area, e.g., rheumatologists, gynecologists, general practitioners, physiotherapists, midwives, and students.

Development of end products

The following end products are to be developed:

In a first step, a concept for the networked provision of location assessments, counseling, and contact points will be developed based on the existing SVMB-ZHAW cooperation, which will result in a training concept. In a next step, existing course-specific modules that are suitable for training as a MyBeFit coach for rheumatic diseases in Winterthur will be filtered out and individuals will be trained: assessments / counseling / instruction. The marketing of the offering will be promoted through various channels.

Planned results

• Developed MyBeFit@ZHAW concept; cooperation between ZHAW and SVMB
• Trained experts/PTs/OTs/HBs, etc. on site
• Ongoing offer – website/vertical (magazine)/advertising – visibility of the offer
• LinkedIn channel
• Evaluation of the impact of implementation to assess sustainability
• Network building through networking with local stakeholder groups in the Winterthur area and the Rheumatism League
• Short film as a pilot on experiences with MyBeFit from the perspective of those affected, trained individuals, and students.

In addition to the project team listed below, the following individuals contributed to the project as ZHAW trainees:

• Alessia Ballerini
• Angela Häberli

Key data

Further documents and links