Auricular Stimulation for Relief of Stress and Anxiety During COVID-19 Epidemic

University Medicine Greifswald62 enrolled

Overview

The aim of the study is to evaluate whether auricular stimulation (percutaneous sensory stimulation of cranial nerves) as compared vs. no intervention (waiting list) reduces stress and anxiety in health care providers, working at the time of COVID-19 pandemic at the University Medicine of Greifswald.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Stress and Anxiety

Interventions

Auricular stimulationOTHER

Auricular "acupuncture-like" stimulation (percutaneous sensory stimulation of cranial nerves)

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 19 YearsMax age: 65 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Medical care workers at the University Medicine of Greifswald 2. Experiencing stress and anxiety in connection with COVID-19 pandemic 3. Participants without previous anxiolytic medication 4. Ability to understand and fill in the structured questionnaire (Appendix D \& E) 5. Written informed consent Exclusion Criteria: 1. Recidivist alcoholics 2. Local auricular skin infection 3. Pregnant or lactating women 4. Participants with prosthetic or damaged cardiac valves and mitral valve prolaps (risk of bacterial endocarditis according to guidelines of AHA) 5. Participants who are unable to understand the consent form 6. History of psychiatric disease

Locations (1)

University Medicine of Greifswald

Greifswald, Germany

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Anxiety

State anxiety

Time frame: 15 weeks of investigation

Secondary Outcomes

Trait anxiety

Time frame: Before and after 15 weeks of intervention application

Sleep quality

Time frame: 15 weeks of investigation

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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