Integrative Medicine Impact on Frontline COVID-19 Personnel Wellbeing

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.

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).

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.

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.

Concerns analysis based on Measure Yourself Concerns and Wellbeing (MYCAW) questionnaire on a scale ranging from 9 (no concern) to 6 (worst)

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

Vagedes J, Kassem S, Gressel O, Samuels N, Eden A, Ben-Arye E. Parasympathetic Versus Sympathetic Changes in Heart Rate Variability After a Multimodal Integrative Medicine Intervention for Frontline COVID-19 Personnel. Psychosom Med. 2023 Jan 1;85(1):53-60. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000001153. Epub 2022 Nov 9.