The occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with an increase in psychiatric
illnesses (depression, anxiety) in the general population due to the infectious and vital
risk involved, changes in social structure, particularly in the family environment, episodes
of confinement, and even professional instability. These international phenomena have also
been observed in France.
In addition to the constraints of the general population, health care workers have been, and
continue to be, subject to other forms of constraints, linked to their professional activity.
Indeed, the risk of viral exposure is for them major, the confrontation with the deaths of
patients because of their fragility or the weakness of the care structures, are more violent
in connection with their immediate reality. In addition, the workload due to health
imperatives has also led to physical and psychological exhaustion of the health care teams.
In addition to the international evidence, the existence and severity of the psychological
consequences for health care workers have recently been documented at the local level in a
survey conducted among the staff of the Groupe hospitalier Paris Saint-Joseph (GhPSJ). In
this study of more than 780 people, nearly half of whom were in charge of patients infected
with SARS-CoV2, 62% reported increased anxiety since the beginning of the epidemic, 41% had
symptoms of anxiety, 21% had symptoms of depression and 14% had signs of post-traumatic
stress. Approximately 25% of the total population had chosen to make regular use of the
"bulle" (a decompression and care platform made available to staff since the first wave
within the establishment) with the aim of reducing the anxiety generated by the situation and
particularly by their professional activity. Given the importance of anxiety symptoms
detected in healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of a simple, brief
technique, requiring neither trained personnel nor expensive or difficult-to-access devices,
aimed at reducing anxious stress could be of significant benefit to the population,
especially to caregivers.
The objective of this study is to measure the effect of deep breathing on the anxiety of
health professionals in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its effect on their
quality of life. In order to measure the quality of the sessions, the breathing movements
will be performed using a calibrated program and their immediate effectiveness will be
evaluated by the variation of the heart rate, visible just after the program by the user.
The NeurodigitX® system offers to control interactive 3D games on a smartphone application
through breath via a sensor connected to the phone by Bluetooth. This tool also allows to
measure by plethysmography the heart rate variability in a simple and non-invasive way.
This system has been created as a preventive health solution by allowing everyone to measure,
compare and share the activity of their Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) to better predict,
understand, prevent and treat certain chronic diseases.
