Acupuncture for Brazilian healthcare workers facing mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had a great impact on the lives of people across the world. There has been an increasing number of complaints related to mental health and psychiatric illnesses since the beginning of the pandemic, especially among healthcare workers (HCWs).1 In this context, several integrative care approaches have been adopted in many countries in order to help HCWs face mental health complaints related to or aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic.2 Acupuncture is a therapeutic modality that is increasingly used in the context of mental health care.3 This brief report describes the experience of using acupuncture in an integrative initiative conducted by the psychosocial care unit at the University Hospital of the Federal University of Santa Catarina (HU-UFSC) to provide care to HCWs with mental health disorders that have emerged during the pandemic. The acupuncture service at HU-UFSC has offered outpatient and inpatient care as well as educational, research and extension activities since it was established over 25 years ago. Acupuncture practice is integrated into hospital care and well accepted by the hospital’s health professionals.4 Due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, most elective outpatient care activities were temporarily suspended in March 2020. The university hospital implemented a contingency plan to cope with the new demands that emerged as a result. Within this contingency plan, the “mental health support team to HU-UFSC workers during the COVID-19 pandemic” was established. It began its activities on 30 March 2020, under the coordination of the psychosocial care unit with the participation of the acupuncture service. The initiative offered a comprehensive integrative approach that included acupuncture, psychiatry, psychology and homeopathy. The target population included not only HCWs but also students and residents from different health fields, as well as workers from administrative areas and outsourced professionals involved in the activities of the hospital. They spontaneously sought support as they presented evolving symptoms or worsening of chronic conditions due to the repercussions of the pandemic. The project’s objectives were: (1) to promote well-being by assisting in coping with stressful situations that can lead professionals to greater risks and damage to psychological health; (2) to minimize anxiety and fear, promoting feelings that favor a healthier work environment and that promote satisfactory responses to the crisis; (3) to promote self-care strategies and empathic behavior; and (4) to therapeutically approach situations of psychological distress and other associated physical complaints. From April 2020 to July 2020, the acupuncture team completed a total of 340 appointments. A survey of chief complaints reported by patients showed that 83% of patients had complaints related to mental health. Among those, 56% had concurrent pain disorders; 10% sought care for pain conditions exclusively and 7% reported other complaints. Mental health–related complaints were mostly associated with worsening of preexisting chronic conditions, mainly anxiety, followed by irritability and sleep disorders. We observed a large number of patients with acute chronic pain associated with mental health complaints (56%). In a recent study, HCWs were found to be particularly vulnerable to mental health issues associated with the pandemic, with the following considered to represent risk factors: direct exposure to patients with SARS-CoV-2; nursing position; frontline work; lack of adequate social support; and short time experience in the area.5 Our investigation into possible causes of the worsening of mental health symptoms engendered by the coronavirus pandemic shows that workers complained largely about changes in routine, both at home and at work, and Acupuncture for Brazilian healthcare workers facing mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic 1009915 AIM Acupuncture in MedicineNoronha et al.