Auricular acupuncture for compassion fatigue in nursing professionals: a randomized clinical trial protocol

Abstract

Objective: To present a study protocol to evaluate the efficacy of auricular acupuncture on compassion fatigue scores in nursing professionals, compared to the placebo group and control group. Method: Randomized, controlled, double-blind, three-arm parallel clinical trial protocol, conducted with nursing professionals from a teaching hospital who present compassion fatigue. Volunteers will be randomly assigned to three groups to receive eight sessions of auricular acupuncture or follow-up. The primary outcome will be the compassion fatigue score, and the secondary outcome will be compassion satisfaction, measured by the Brazilian version of the Professional Quality of Life scale, and the depression, anxiety, and stress scores, measured by the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress scale, Brazilian version. Expected results: The results may strengthen the validity of auricular acupuncture to mitigate compassion fatigue, enabling its incorporation as a mental health care strategy for the nursing team in the workplace. Final considerations: This protocol aims to test the efficacy of auricular acupuncture for compassion fatigue in hospital nursing professionals. In addition, it may contribute to the management of these professionals’ quality of life and support future research on the application of this therapy by nurses. Record identifier RBR-28xttdt.