Box Breathing Versus Foot Reflexology on Physiological and Psychological Stress Indicators in Emergency Physicians
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: Box Breathing, Foot Reflexology.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Stress. Basic parameters: 30 years — 40 years · Male.
- 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
- Egypt
- 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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Overview
This study aims to compare between the effect of box breathing and foot reflexology on physiological and psychological stress indicators in emergency physicians.
Detailed description
Healthcare workers are an especially vulnerable group, with stressful environments and work pressure often leading to burnout. Long hours, overwork, shift work, inadequate staffing, emotional demands, are all believed to be contributors, and it has been suggested that stress and burnout have been associated with decreased job satisfaction, poor job performance, and negative patient outcomes. Emergency physicians showed a high risk for developing burnout and work stress-related problems. Emergency physicians report higher scores of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization when compared to other healthcare professionals. The high flow of patients exceeding the teamwork capacity lead to excessive stressful working environment among the Egyptian emergency physicians rather than other emergency physicians in many Western countries. Work-related stress have a negative impact on workers' health and safety. This includes cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal complaints, sleep troubles, mental health problems, fatigue, job dissatisfaction, accidents and injuries at work, reduced vigilance and job performance. Box breathing exercise is a technique of slow breathing rhythm also known as square breathing used universally. It increases the performance and concentration level; it also acts as a powerful stress relief. Foot reflexology stimulates reflex zones in the foot that correspond to specific parts of the body, Reflex effects are known to release symptoms of stress by accelerating blood flow, diminishing tension, relaxing the mental state, increasing immunity, and improving the sense of well-being. Therefore, the primary aim of this study will impact future researcher about the significance of the difference between box breathing and foot reflexology on physiological and psychological stress indicators in emergency physicians.
Interventions
- Other Box Breathing
Participants will perform box breathing exercises daily for 4 weeks. Each session will last 5 minutes and will be performed three times per day. Participants will receive supervised sessions three days per week and will perform the remaining sessions as a - Other Foot Reflexology
Participants will receive foot reflexology sessions three times per week for 4 weeks. Reflexology will be performed with the participant in a comfortable supine position and will include general stimulation of plantar reflex points followed by targeted pressure applied to the solar plexus and adrenal gland reflex areas of both feet.
Primary outcome measures
- Salivary Cortisol Level [Time frame: 4 weeks]
Secondary outcome measures (4)
- Heart Rate Variability (HRV) [Time frame: 4 weeks]
- Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) [Time frame: 4 weeks]
- Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) [Time frame: 4 weeks]
- Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) [Time frame: 4 weeks]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Male emergency physicians aged 30-40 years.
- Body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 29.9 kg/m².
- Working 8-hour day shifts.
- Non-smokers.
- At least 1 year of professional experience.
- Able and willing to provide informed consent and comply with the study interventions and assessments.
Exclusion criteria
- Medical conditions that contraindicate participation in the interventions, including severe cardiovascular conditions or foot injuries that preclude foot reflexology.
- Use of medications that may affect hormonal or stress-related outcomes, including antidiabetic medications, thyroid medications, and antidepressants.
- Regular participation in stress-reduction techniques or relaxation programs.
- Working night shifts.
- BMI ≥30 kg/m² or <18.5 kg/m².
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Single blind
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
Study locations
Egypt · 1 center
- EL-Zeiton district Hospitals — Cairo
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07705854 · P.T.REC/012/006075