B-MEDIC could potentially benefit groups that perform research and operations in space-analog environments. This group primarily includes the United States Antarctic Program (USAP), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC). B-MEDIC would be an easily deployable tool that researchers, aquanauts, or submariners can use privately in the limited personal space allowed to them. Also, outside of space-analog environments, B-MEDIC could provide adaptive support to users who experience stress due to their daily working conditions, and do not have either the access or desire to seek clinical care. B-MEDIC could be distributed at the individual level to help people working in extreme environments successfully cope with stress and alleviate or prevent potential performance and/or behavioral decrements.
B-MEDIC will have several applications for the NASA Human Research Program, including the Behavioral Health and Performance Element (BHP) at Johnson Space Center. The tool will provide astronauts with the capability to unobtrusively monitor, assess, and maintain their own behavioral health in the absence of direct support from a clinician or ground control. B-MEDIC will accomplish this goal by addressing the following gaps identified in the BHP Integrated Research Plan (July 2010): BMED1, BMED2, and BMED6. B-MEDIC can also support NASA's partnership with the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI), including the Neurobehavioral and Psychosocial Factors Team's mission to help astronauts deal with stress during the isolation and confinement of a space environment.
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