Group Acupuncture

Presentation Slides

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Randomised Controlled Trial

Both individual and group acupuncture therapy delivered in primary care settings reduced chronic pain and improved physical function at 12 weeks.

2020 Journal of General Internal Medicine Individual vs. Group Delivery of Acupuncture Therapy for Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain in Urban Primary Care—a Randomized Trial
McKee MD, Nielsen A, Anderson B, Chuang E, Connolly M, Gao Q, Gil EN, Lechuga C, Kim M, Naqvi H, Kligler B

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Randomised Controlled Trial

Group acupuncture was noninferior to individual acupuncture for treating cancer pain and was superior in many health outcomes. Group acupuncture is more cost-effective for alleviating cancer pain and should be considered for implementation trials.

2020 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Group versus Individual Acupuncture (AP) for Cancer Pain: A Randomized Noninferiority Trial
Erica Nicole Reed, Jessa Landmann, Devesh Oberoi, Katherine-Ann L. Piedalue, Peter Faris, Linda E. Carlson

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Acupuncture therapy offered in the group setting was effective in reducing pain severity, pain interference, and depression in patients with chronic neck, back, or shoulder pain or osteoarthritis.

2018 Pain Medicine Acupuncture Therapy in a Group Setting for Chronic Pain
Benjamin Kligler, Arya Nielsen, Corinne Kohrherr,, Tracy Schmid, Eve Waltermaurer, Elidania Perez, Woodson Merrell

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Systematic Review

Patients in both group and individual acupuncture study arms valued the pain relief, improved quality of life, and relaxation experienced during acupuncture.

2018 The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine "It's Better in a Group Anyway": Patient Experiences of Group and Individual Acupuncture
Chuang, E., Hashai, N., Buonora, M., Gabison, J., Kligler, B., & McKee

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Our findings suggest that the group setting, community-based locations, and low cost of this model do not compromise quality of care, and potentially reduce access barriers for those who might not otherwise consider acupuncture.

2013 BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies Patient perspectives on care received at community acupuncture clinics: a qualitative thematic analysis
Tippens KM, Chao MT, Connelly E, Locke A.

Executive Summary

Write an executive summary in the form of a blog article on the topic of "Research into Chinese medicine treatment for Group Acupuncture" summarising the research below and using language that can be easily understood by patients and avoiding medical jargon using a professional and caring tone of voice.

Write an executive summary in the form of a blog article on the topic of "Researched Chinese medicine treatments for Group Acupuncture" summarising the research below in an objective and easy to understand way, and using language that can be easily understood by patients. Group the article into Chinese medicine treatments first, followed by nutrition and other treatments. Avoid using medical jargon and use a professional and caring tone of voice.

Write me a concise but easy to understand executive summary on the topic of "Chinese medicine treatments for Group Acupuncture" based on the following research that I will give you. Your summary should be 2 paragraphs long in Australian English spelling and include references to the studies.

A Randomised Controlled Trial published in 2020 in the journal Journal of General Internal Medicine found that Both individual and group acupuncture therapy delivered in primary care settings reduced chronic pain and improved physical function at 12 weeks. Our results demonstrate that individual and group acupuncture can be offered safely in the community health center setting, that acceptability to patients and clinicians is very high, and that a substantial proportion of patients with chronic pain will have clinically significant improvement in both pain and overall physical health. Based on these results, acupuncture therapy should be offered as part of pain care to underserved populations in the primary care setting. Non-inferiority of group treatment was not demonstrated, suggesting that further research is needed on the optimal strategy for delivering group acupuncture in this context to consider it as effective as individual treatment.

A Randomised Controlled Trial published in 2020 in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that Group acupuncture was noninferior to individual acupuncture for treating cancer pain and was superior in many health outcomes. Group acupuncture is more cost-effective for alleviating cancer pain and should be considered for implementation trials. Biweekly acupuncture therapy offered in the group setting for 6 weeks, delivered for half the cost of individual acupuncture, was as effective as individual acupuncture for reducing cancer-related pain interference and severity and was superior to individual acupuncture in improving sleep quality, fatigue, and psychological distress. Group acupuncture may be an effective treatment option for patients who may otherwise be unable to afford it due to relatively high costs and the lack of universal coverage for acupuncture treatment. Where possible, cancer centers and practitioners should consider offering acupuncture in group-based settings, rather than individually, for routine cancer pain treatments as a more cost-effective delivery model.

A published in 2018 in the journal Pain Medicine found that Acupuncture therapy offered in the group setting was effective in reducing pain severity, pain interference, and depression in patients with chronic neck, back, or shoulder pain or osteoarthritis. Subjects received eight weekly acupuncture therapy sessions in a group setting. Acupuncture therapy included a combination of palpation, acupuncture needling, Tui na, Gua sha, and auricular treatment. Baseline pain levels were established in a two- to four-week run-in; assessment of the intervention impact on pain intensity, mood, and functional status were made at the end of the treatment period (eight weeks) and 16 weeks after completion of intervention (24 weeks). Of the total 113 participants recruited for the trial, 96 completed the 24-week protocol. We found a statistically and clinically significant decrease in pain severity, pain interference, and depression in our study population. There were no serious adverse events. Acupuncture therapy offered in the group setting was effective in reducing pain severity, pain interference, and depression in patients with chronic neck, back, or shoulder pain or osteoarthritis. Benefit persisted through the 24-week measure despite no additional treatment. This finding has potentially important implications for improving access to effective acupuncture treatment for patients with limited financial resources.

A Systematic Review published in 2018 in the journal The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that Patients in both group and individual acupuncture study arms valued the pain relief, improved quality of life, and relaxation experienced during acupuncture. Group acupuncture can decrease cost and increase capacity by decreasing clinic space needs and increasing patient volume per acupuncturist; however, the effectiveness and patient acceptability of group and individual session acupuncture have never been directly compared. Patients in both study arms valued the pain relief, improved quality of life, and relaxation experienced during acupuncture. Privacy and mixed-sex groups were cited as a concern by a minority of patients; however, most of those randomized to the group setting noted that these concerns abated after initiating treatment. Differences between arms included the depth of the relationship with the acupuncturist and misgivings related to the treatment space. Group dynamics varied; some groups fostered a supportive, therapeutic interaction, while others were more reserved.

A published in 2013 in the journal BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies found that Our findings suggest that the group setting, community-based locations, and low cost of this model do not compromise quality of care, and potentially reduce access barriers for those who might not otherwise consider acupuncture. In this study, Portland community acupuncture patients perceive their care as high quality. Themes that emerged from these analyses highlight how the community acupuncture model facilitates access to acupuncture. Patients mentioned the facilities and material resources that support the provision of care, such as aspects of the physical setting and relaxing atmosphere. Patients identified both technical and interpersonal processes of care received at WCA that support patient engagement. They described their processes for accessing care as empowering, allowing them to exercise control over when and how they are treated. Our findings suggest that the group setting, community-based locations, and low cost of this model do not compromise quality of care, and potentially reduce access barriers for those who might not otherwise consider acupuncture. In addition, the community acupuncture model may offer individuals the opportunity for increased frequency of treatments, which raises pertinent questions about the dose–response relationship of acupuncture and health outcomes. Further work is needed to examine aspects of access, costs, and quality of care with larger, more representative samples of community acupuncture patients from multiple clinics. Future studies should also include the perspectives and experiences of patients who initiated, and subsequently, terminated treatment through community acupuncture clinics due to dissatisfaction.

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