Integrative Medicine Impact on Frontline COVID-19 Personnel Wellbeing

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Treating COVID-19 hospitalized patients incurred heavy burden of physical and emotional stress. The present study is taking place at Carmel Medical Center in collaboration with the integrative oncology and the internal medicine teams with aim to improve the wellbeing of healthcare providers working in frontline COVID-19 departments. In this prospective preference study, Healthcare providers (HCPs) working inside COVID-19 departments are referred to integrative oncology-trained practitioners for assessment of their two leading concerns followed by 30-minute individually tailored treatment. The study assess, based on the Measure Yourself Concerns and Wellbeing (MYCAW) questionnaire, the impact of personalized integrative oncology modalities on the physical and emotional concerns as well as Heart Rate Variability of participating HCPs in COVID-19 departments.

Detailed Description
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Background: Treating COVID-19 hospitalized patients incurred heavy burden of physical and emotional stress. The present study is taking place at Carmel Medical Center in collaboration with the integrative oncology and the internal medicine teams with aim to improve the wellbeing of healthcare providers working in frontline COVID-19 departments. Purpose: To explore the impact of personalized integrative oncology modalities on the physical and emotional concerns as well as physiological parameters (e.g., Heart Rate Variability, HRV) of healthcare practitioners (HCPs) in COVID-19 department. Methods: In this prospective preference study, HCPs working inside COVID-19 departments are referred to integrative oncology-trained practitioners for assessment of their two leading concerns followed by 30-minute individually tailored treatment, scheduled during the working shift and performed adjacent to the COVID department. Integrative treatment include one or more of the following modalities: acupuncture, manual (e.g., acupressure, anthroposophic medicine, reflexology), movement (QiGong, Feldenkrais and Paula methods), and mind-body therapies. The Measure Yourself Concerns and Wellbeing (MYCAW) questionnaire is used for pre- and post-treatment quantitative and qualitative assessment. HCP's narratives analysis is purposed to identify concerns and impact of the integrative treatment program. HRV is assessed during the integrative treatment. Three minutes intervals at start and after 20 minutes are used for pre- and post-treatment assessment. The primary outcome is RMSSD (root square of successive differences) indicating parasympathetic activity. Secondary outcomes are further parameters from the time domain analysis (SDNN, pNN50) and frequency domain analysis (LF/HF Ratio).

Official Title
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Eran Ben-Arye is the Study Primary Investigator

Conditions
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Wellbeing of Healthcare Providersin Frontline COVID-19 Departments

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: Complementary Integrative Medicine


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: * Healthcare providers and personnel working in frontline COVID-19 hospital departments. Exclusion Criteria: * Personnel not consenting to participate

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Interventional Model Description: Prospective non-controlled study
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Healthcare providers<br>Healthcare providers employed in COVID-19 departments are referred to integrative oncology-trained practitioners for an evaluation of their two main concerns, followed by a 30-minute individually tailored integrative care. | Other: Complementary Integrative Medicine<br>* 30-minute individually tailored integrative medicine care, including acupuncture, acupressure, reflexology, movement therapies like QiGong or Feldenkrais as well as Anthroposophic Medicine and mind-body treatments.<br>* Other names: Acupuncture, acupressure, manual-movement, mind-body relaxation techniques;|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Quantitative quality of life assessment | Concerns analysis based on Measure Yourself Concerns and Wellbeing (MYCAW) questionnaire on a scale ranging from 9 (no concern) to 6 (worst) | 48 hours | 
| Qualitative quality of life assessment | Free-text narratives analysis using ATLAS.Ti software for systematic coding | 48 hours | 
| Heart Rate Variability analysis | RMSSD parameter indicating parasympathetic activity | 30 minutes | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Integrative medicine, Resilience, Covid-19, Quality of life