Acupuncture and Reiki as a Prevention Strategy of Burnout and Occupational Stress in Oncology

Manuela Santos¹, Ana Joaquim²*, Ângela Bernardo¹, Henrique Coelho³ and Rui Gomes⁴

Received: April 17, 2018;   Published: April 24, 2018

DOI: 10.32474/OAJOM.2018.01.000116

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Abstract

Burnout is a professional syndrome associated with stress caused by overwork and is highly prevalent in healthcare professionals working with cancer patients. Our aim was to assess the role of complementary therapies, namely acupuncture and Reiki, in Burnout and Stress prevention of healthcare professionals working at an Oncology and Haematology Departments of a Portuguese hospital. Therefore, an experimental, cross-sectional study was designed wherein a sample of 16 participants underwent acupuncture and Reiki sessions. The Maslach’s Burnout Inventory- Human Service Surveys (MBI-HSS) as well as the Stress Questionnaire for Health Professionals (SQHP) were completed by all participants before and after the intervention. Furthermore, they were also asked qualitative questions regarding their perceptions about these therapies. The results suggest that the complementary therapies used may have a role in the prevention of burnout and occupational stress.

Keywords: Burnout; Occupational stress; Oncology; Acupuncture; Reiki

Abbrevations: MBI-HSS: Maslach’s Burnout Inventory-Human Service Surveys; SQHP: Stress Questionnaire for Health Professionals; CHVNG: Centro Hospital de Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho

Abstract| Introduction| Materials and Methods| Results| Discussion| Conclusion| Authors’ Contributions| Funding| References|