Auricular acupuncture to relieve health care workers' stress and anxiety: impact on caring

Patricia M Reilly¹, Teresa M Buchanan, Carol Vafides+2

• ¹Patricia M. Reilly, MSN, RN, is the director of Caring and Healing Modalities at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. She has held a variety of leadership positions in critical care nursing and perioperative nursing. Her current interests lie in developing a caring healing environment for both patients and staff. Teresa M. Buchanan, MBA, RN, is a nursing project manager, has held a variety of educational, managerial, leadership, and consultant positions, with a particular focus on program development and project management in health care settings. She is currently supporting the Integrative Care Program at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. Carol Vafides, MAc, Lic Ac, received her diplomate of acupuncture and master's degree in acupuncture from the New England School of Acupuncture. She studied medical Qi Gong and other nonneedle healing therapies at the Oriental Culture Institute of Boston. Her professional philosophy includes a belief that healing occurs when the body is in rhythm with the mind promoting good health. She has been in private practice since 1994. Suellen Breakey, PhD, RN, is an assistant professor in the School of Nursing at Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions in Charlestown, Massachusetts. Her clinical background is in critical care nursing. Patricia Dykes, PhD, RN, is senior nurse scientist and program director for research in the Center for Patient Safety Research and Practice and the Center for Nursing Excellence at Brigham and Women's Hospital and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. Dr Dykes is the author of 2 books and more than 50 peer-reviewed publications and has presented her work nationally and internationally. She is a member of the National Institutes of Health Biomedical Computing and Health Informatics Study Section, Center for Scientific Review, a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and the American College of Medical Informatics.