Auricular Stimulation for Relief of Stress and Anxiety (AA_COVID)

University Medicine Greifswald

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Stress and Anxiety

Treatments: Other: Auricular stimulation

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04703907

BB 324/20

Details and patient eligibility

About

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.

Enrollment: 60 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 19 to 65 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

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

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Sequential Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

---

60 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention group

Experimental group

Description:

This group is constituted from patients who will receive the intervention first within 15 weeks

Treatment:

Other: Auricular stimulation

Waiting list

No Intervention group

Description:

This group is constituted from patients who will receive the intervention after 15 weeks