Assessing the Impact of Integrative Medicine on Anxiety and Wellbeing of Healthcare Providers Exposed to Terror or War
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Integrative medicine including manual and/or mind-body treatments.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Quality of Life. Basic parameters: 18 years — 70 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Israel
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Assessing the Impact of Integrative Medicine on Anxiety and Wellbeing of Healthcare Providers Exposed Directly or Indirectly to Terror, Trauma or War
Overview
The study assesses integrative medicine intervention effects on healthcare providers' quality-of-life during wartime.
Detailed description
The study is prospective, non-randomized and non-controlled, and taking place at the Carmel Medical Center in Haifa, northern Israel, from October 2023. The study was launched in proximity with the outbreak of the October 2023 war in the Middle East. As this timing was and is still regarded in Israel as an emergency life-threatening situation and considering the research limitation to healthcare providers only, the Carmel Medical Center Institutional Review Board has exempted the study from requiring written consent from participants, after reviewing the study protocol. However, Participation in the study was voluntary, and no incentive, financial or other was offered.
The hospital administration and department refer healthcare providers (HCPs) to integrative medicine intervention those if reporting emotional, physical, or other QoL concerns directly or indirectly related to the current conflict in Israel. The IM intervention entails a 30-minute treatment session, with an additional 10 minutes allocated for both pre- and post- treatment assessment. IM treatments are individually tailored to the HCP's QoL-related concerns, taking into consideration their willingness to undergo the recommended modalities. In all cases, a multi-modal IM program is recommended, which includes at least one of the following: acupuncture; manual-movement therapies (e.g., acupressure, Anthroposophic medicine touch therapies, reflexology, Qi Gong, and Feldenkrais method); and mind-body medicine (e.g., relaxation and breathing techniques). During these treatments participants are asked to lay on a treatment bed, with relaxed non-paced breathing throughout the session. The IM treatments are provided by IM-trained therapists who work in an integrative oncology setting.
Interventions
- Other Integrative medicine including manual and/or mind-body treatments
Referred HCPs are recommended a multi-modal IM program, include at least one of the following: acupuncture; manual-movement therapies (e.g., acupressure, Anthroposophic medicine touch therapies, reflexology, Qi Gong, and Feldenkrais method); and mind-body medicine (e.g., relaxation and breathing techniques).
Primary outcome measures
- Assessing HCPs QoL-related concerns using the Measure Yourself Concerns and Wellbeing (MYCAW). [Time frame: Before and immediately following the IO intervention; and at 24-48 hours post-treatment.]
- Assessment of objective physiological changes during the intervention [Time frame: During the 30 minutes intervention]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Healthcare providers reporting war-related concerns affecting their quality of life
Exclusion criteria
\* Healthcare providers with no quality-of-life related concerns they attribute to the war r
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- N/A
- Model
- Single group
- Masking
- Open label
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
Study locations
Israel · 1 center
- Carmel Medical center — Haifa
Publications
- Ben-Arye E, Gressel O, Samuels N, Stein N, Eden A, Vagedes J, Kassem S. Complementary and integrative medicine intervention in front-line COVID-19 clinicians. BMJ Support Palliat Care. 2022 Apr 5:bmjspcare-2021-003333. doi: 10.1136/bmjspcare-2021-003333. Online ahead of print. PMID 35383045
- 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. PMID 36346679
- Kassem S, Vagedes J, Gressel O, Samuels N, Elias S, Ben-Arye E. Spirit and Sense: Autonomic Response to Integrative Medicine Intervention for Health Care Personnel During Wartime. Biopsychosoc Sci Med. 2025 Jul-Aug 01;87(6):380-387. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000001402. Epub 2025 Jun 11. PMID 40511976
Identifiers
NCT: NCT06612749 · 15102023