Randomized Controlled Trial of Acupressure for Perception of Stress and Health-Related Quality of Life Among Health Care Providers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Self-Acupressure for Stress (SAS) Trial.

Background: The efficacy of providing self-acupressure educational materials in reducing stress and improving health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is uncertain. Evidence-based data to recommend for or against self-acupressure as an intervention for reducing stress and improving HRQOL is needed. Objective: The Self-Acupressure for Stress (SAS) trial evaluates whether providing self-acupressure educational materials would reduce stress and improve HRQOL among health care providers (HCPs). Design: Randomized behavioral clinical trial. Setting: The entire study took place remotely. Participants: One hundred fifty-nine adult HCPs with no prior experience or training in acupressure. Intervention: The intervention group received self-acupressure educational materials. Measurements: Primary outcomes were perception of stress measured by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), as well as scores on the physical and mental components of the 12-item Short Form Health Survey version 2 (SF-12v2). Results: From the baseline to midpoint evaluations, the intervention group significantly reduced their PSS score ( Limitation: The trial was not blinded. Conclusion: Among HCPs during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the provision of self-acupressure educational materials safely improved self-reported assessments of perception of stress and mental health. Self-acupressure represents a promising intervention for other populations. The study findings support the use of self-acupressure to reduce stress and improve HRQOL. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04472559.