At a glance
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Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback in Healthcare Providers During COVID-19: A Pilot Feasibility Study
In Brief
A clinical study evaluating Heart rate variability biofeedback for Disordered Eating and Stress. Completed, enrolled 25 participants across 1 site.
Detailed Summary
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the degree of burnout and consequential negative psychological effects experienced by healthcare providers has been substantially exacerbated. Heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback has long been used to assist with a wide variety of stress-related concerns. Building on evidence that HRV biofeedback has the potential to improve wellbeing, the purpose of this study is to pilot test and determine the feasibility of implementing a digital HRV biofeedback tool to improve disordered eating, mindful self-care (i.e., self-compassion, body appreciation, etc.), and perceived stress in healthcare providers. In addition to assessing acceptability and feasibility of the HRV biofeedback tool, the investigators will aim to establish 'proof-of-concept' for a conceptual model consisting of potential psychological constructs underlying the mechanisms of change for the intervention-namely mind-body awareness (i.e., interoception) and resilience. Our primary recruitment pool will include healthcare providers who reported elevated eating distress as a participant in an ongoing observational study of the health effects of theCOVID-19 pandemic on essential workers (CHAMPS).
Study Details
Timeline
Interventions
* 5 days of 3-min HRV readings to establish baseline HRV * After meeting with study personnel to review HRV biofeedback (BF) practice with the app, participants will be asked to begin HRV BF training for 5 min a day * Participants will increase the length of HRV BF training by 5 min every few days until they reach 20 min a day of HRV BF training * Participants will aim for 20 min of daily HRV BF training for 6 consecutive wks out of the 8-wk total BF training protocol * Study personnel will follow the participants' progress with training via the online portal provided through the Optimal HRV app and have brief (15-min) check-in appts. with participants to discuss how they are experiencing HRV BF, what they find helpful, and barriers to their practice if they are having difficulties * After completing the 8-wks of BF training (including 2 wks of 5-min titrations to the full 20-min protocol), participants will be asked to take 3-min HRV readings for 5 days to assess post-intervention HRV