Assessing the Impact of Integrative Medicine on Anxiety and Wellbeing of Hospital Workers Exposed Directly or Indirectly to Terror, Trauma or War

During the "Iron Swords" war in Israel in 2023, the residents of the Gaza Strip and the surrounding area, along with the soldiers of the security service, were exposed to a very high intensity of trauma. Added to this is an extensive cycle of trauma for those who were directly and indirectly exposed to loss and terror throughout the country. Medical teams in the hospitals and in the community were exposed with the highest intensity to these traumatic aspects which were amplified by the collapse of many of the resilience and mental health centers in the south.

An integrative medicine treatment clinic was established at the Bnai Zion Medical Center for the purpose of providing a response to all hospital employees who are exposed and will be exposed (directly or indirectly) to the wounded and patients expressing trauma, including symptoms of acute stress disorder, as a result of war and terrorism. Hospital employees are invited to register for complementary medicine treatments on the hospital's website according to indications that include anxiety, emotional distress and/or typical Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) symptoms, including physical distress (such as pain, breathing disorder, digestive system symptoms, exhaustion, etc.). The employees are treated by a team from the system for integrative medicine, including practitioners of acupuncture; touch/movement techniques (for example, qigong, reflexology, shiatsu) or mind-body medicine (for example, relaxation and breathing exercises) and may include one or more of the above 3 treatment areas.

In the proposed study, the investigators plan to examine the effect of these treatments on various symptoms experienced by hospital employees during this period.