Efectividad de la acupuntura y la auriculoterapia para reducir el nivel de depresión, ansiedad y estrés en personal sanitario de urgencias durante la pandemia de COVID-19

Objective

To analyse the effectiveness of an intervention using acupuncture and auriculotherapy for the clinical reduction of symptoms of stress and anxiety in healthcare personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design

Prospective study comparing 2 cohorts.

Setting

Emergency Room of the Hospital de Palamós, Girona.

Participants

Health workers from the emergency service. A total of 22 professionals participated, 11 in each group.

Interventions

The short version of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) was performed on all participants, the intervention group (IG) also received 6 sessions of acupuncture and auriculotherapy. Subsequently, the DASS-21 scale was repeated.

Measurements

The variables were group, sex, age, professional category, years of experience in the emergency room, DASS-21 scale with its subscales for stress, anxiety and depression.

Results

Of the professionals, 45.4% suffered stress, 40.9% anxiety and 27.2% depression. There is a reduction of stress by 90.9% in the IG vs 18.2% in the control group (CG), this being statistically significant. There is an anxiety reduction in 81.8% of the IG vs 63.6% of the CG: p = .065; odds ratio: 2.57 (95% confidence interval, .36–18.33). The mean anxiety of the IG is statistically lower in the post-intervention value than in the pre-intervention value (1.36 vs 3.90; p = .003), while in the CG (3.09 vs 2.45; p = .208). There is a reduction in the level of depression in 81.8% of the IG vs 45.5% of the CG (p = .183).

Conclusions

Acupuncture is a treatment that improves stress and anxiety levels in healthcare professionals dealing with COVID-19.