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Ear stimulation zaps stress in overworked healthcare workers

NCT ID NCT04703907

Symptom relief Sponsor: University Medicine Greifswald Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tested whether a gentle ear stimulation technique could reduce stress and anxiety in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. 62 workers were randomly assigned to receive the stimulation or be placed on a waiting list. The goal was to see if this simple, non-drug approach could help ease the mental burden of working on the front lines.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
auricular stimulation (percutaneous sensory stimulation of cranial nerves)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a simple, non-drug way to help healthcare workers manage stress and anxiety during crises.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early study with only 62 participants. The results may not apply to other groups or settings, and the effect might be due to placebo.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

62 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Dec 2020

Finished

Aug 2021

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

19 to 65 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Medical care workers at the University Medicine of Greifswald 2. Experiencing stress and anxiety in connection with COVID-19 pandemic 3. Participants without previous anxiolytic medication 4. Ability to understand and fill in the structured questionnaire (Appendix D \& E) 5. Written informed consent Exclusion Criteria: 1. Recidivist alcoholics 2. Local auricular skin infection 3. Pregnant or lactating women 4. Participants with prosthetic or damaged cardiac valves and mitral valve prolaps (risk of bacterial endocarditis according to guidelines of AHA) 5. Participants who are unable to understand the consent form 6. History of psychiatric disease

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

anxiety disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Stress and anxiety

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • University Medicine of Greifswald

    Greifswald, 17475, Germany

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.