Development of an Information System Application for French Medical Psychological Emergency Units to Manage Mental Health Support During Crisis Events (“Cellule d’Urgence Médico-Psychologique – CUMP”)

Introduction: Following a wave of terrorist bombings in the mid-1990s, France established Medical-Psychological Emergency Units (MPEUs - “Cellule d’Urgence Médico-Psychologique - CUMP”). These units aim to provide immediate mental health and psychosocial support to victims and emergency responders. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bordeaux MPEU pioneered the use of cloud computing to coordinate real-time activities across 13 regional mental health units serving 6 million people. Based on 30 years of disaster psychiatry expertise and national guidelines, this innovative The approach was recognized by the government’s Regional Health Agency, leading to the development of an information system application (ISA) specifically tailored to manage mental health and psychosocial support during crisis events. Methods: The alpha version of the ISA for MPEU has been tested locally since the Paris 2024 Olympics. It is a multimedia app that offers various functionalities based on the user’s profile. Volunteers are mobilized via the app on their smartphone, have real-time event tracking, and can record their clinical activity. For unit managers, it facilitates triggering the network, deploying resources, and coordinating real-time responses to the evolving crisis. For institutions, it enables monitoring of the ongoing crisis and adjusting responses. The app, designed for major multi-site events, has been beta tested in full-scale disaster simulations in Bordeaux since October 2024. The simulations showed that the ISA system significantly improved the speed and accuracy of information dissemination among responders. The mental health research functions remain to be integrated and tested for the full version. Results: Schedule : • End of 2024: full version for departmental level • Early 2025: full deployment for regional version (Nouvelle Aquitaine, 6.3 M inhabitants). Data will be collected and reported in April 2025. Conclusion: The ISA-MPEU improves the network’s capacity to provide rapid and effective support in emergencies, while at the same time providing a research tool through its database of mental health responses.