The Effect of Remote Stress Management Training on Saturation of Peripheral Oxygen in Patients with COVID-19: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Due to pulmonary involvement, COVID-19 patients experience a decrease in the saturation of peripheral oxygen. These patients perceive a lot of stress and are required to comply with isolation conditions. This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of remote stress management training on the saturation of peripheral oxygen of covid-19 patients.
In this randomized clinical trial, the research population was all the patients with COVID-19 referred to Gharazi Hospital in Isfahan City in the winter 2021. 70 people were selected by convenience sampling method and divided into two intervention and control groups (35 people) by limited randomization method. For the intervention group, the remote stress management online training program was implemented in five 60-minute sessions over two weeks. The control group did not receive any training. The saturation of peripheral oxygen index was measured before and after training sessions. The data were analyzed using chi-square test, analysis of variance, independent and paired t-test, and analysis of covariance.
Mean and standard deviation of the saturation of peripheral oxygen in the pre-test and post-test in the intervention group were 93.83±2.25 and 97.82±1.05, respectively, and in the control group 94.02±2.15 and 95.16±1.99, respectively. Remote stress management training has had a significant effect on the saturation of peripheral oxygen in COVID-19 patients (p=0.001) and increased this index in the intervention group (p<0.05).
Remote stress management training can improve the saturation of peripheral oxygen in covid-19 patients. Therefore, this method of training is recommended due to the convenience and possibility of using it in the isolation conditions of these patients.