Yoga for stress in healthcare workers is more effective than other methods: study

 

 


Stress and burnout can lead to decreased job satisfaction, poor performance and negative outcomes. Research from different countries has shown that the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with high levels of anxiety, depression, stress and burnout among healthcare workers (1, 2, 3 and 4).

 In view of the critical situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, organizational approaches are required to handle these issues and support the workers. Improvement of work conditions and emotional support (5) are necessary to support the health and performance of the staff.

 A recent study published by the Journal of Occupational Health explored the benefits of yoga for healthcare workers (6). The COVID-19 pandemic has caused stress in healthcare workers across the world. Long hours, overwork, shift work, inadequate staffing, emotional demands, administrative burdens, and physical workplace hazards contribute to stress.

 Stress reduction programs have the potential to help when they are used in addition to programs that improve the working conditions. Mindfulness, yoga, massage therapy, progressive muscle relaxation and stretching were evaluated as part of the meta-analysis published by the Journal of Occupational Health in July 2021 (6).

 A systematic meta-analysis and review evaluated the use of physical methods of relaxation on occupational stress reduction. The researchers also explored the effects of relaxation methods on physical and mental health and compared methods with each other and with no intervention.

 The participants of the studies they included in the meta-analysis (6) were healthcare workers. Prospective randomized controlled trials that involved physical relaxation such as yoga, massage, progressive muscle relaxation and stretching were the ones considered.

 The primary outcome was the change in occupational stress after physical relaxation. Secondary outcomes were changes in mental and physical health. Two types of meta-analysis were completed. One of them looked into the effect of all methods of physical relaxation together on the primary and secondary outcomes.   The other meta-analysis compared individual modalities of physical relaxation with each other and with no intervention (control) on the primary outcome.

With all the studies that met the criteria, 688 participants were included. 341 participants went through physical relaxation and 347 participants belonged to the non-intervention controls. 139 participants of the physical relaxation group (intervention group) were involved in yoga or a contemplative practice like tai chi or qigong. 167 people received massage therapy. 15 were instructed to do progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) and 20 people did stretching exercises. All the studies compared a physical relaxation intervention to no intervention and the participants were followed over time. Follow-up duration ranged from one day to one year. The average age of the participants was 30.8 and 78 percent were female.

Those who belonged to the no-intervention groups (controls) were advised to just relax, read or to continue with their business as usual.

   For outcome measurements five studies used PSS (Perceived Stress Scale for Stress Assessment. Two studies used the Maslah Burnout Inventory for emotional exhaustion, and two other studies applied the Health Status Survey Short Form.

Yoga was found to rank the highest in effectiveness, followed by massage therapy. (Note that the yoga group also included tai chi and qigong participants). Yoga and massage therapy significantly reduced measures of occupational stress at the longest duration of follow-up versus baseline compared to non-intervention controls.

 A p score ranging from 0 (least effective) to 1 (most effective) was used to express the mean certainty that one modality of physical relaxation was better than the others. The highest score was for yoga. Yoga: 0.89; massage: 0.58; PMR: 0.51; stretching: 0.40; no intervention: 0.12.

 As healthcare workers deal with various stressors on a regular basis they are at risk for burnout and anxiety. This can impact their health and lead to decreased job satisfaction.

 Employers in the healthcare industry should consider implementing wellness programs that integrate methods of relaxation like yoga, a practice that can be offered remotely to support their staff.

 

References:

 

1) https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/4/e045281

2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7494453/

3) https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0247679

4) https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(21)00159-0/fulltext

5) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6462946/

6) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1348-9585.12243

 

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