MacPherson Hugh, Sinclair-Lian Nityamo, Thomas Kate
Foundation for Traditional Chinese Medicine, York, UK.
Complement Ther Med. 2006 Mar;14(1):20-30. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2005.07.006. Epub 2005 Sep 12.
The primary aim was to describe the characteristics of acupuncture patients and in particular the main problem or symptom for which they were seeking treatment. Our secondary aim was to compare the profiles of acupuncture patients with those of a patient survey undertaken in 1988.
We used the data from a recent prospective adverse event survey of a representative sample of 9408 acupuncture patients who were consulting members of the British Acupuncture Council. We analysed patient reports of demographic details, pathways to care, whether the National Health Service paid for their treatment, whether they had previously consulted a GP or hospital specialist for their main problem and whether they were consulting an acupuncturist for the first time. We separately analysed equivalent data from a survey funded by the Nuffield Provincial Hospital Trust undertaken in 1988.
Seventy-four percent of patients were female, and with an average age of 51 years. Most commonly, patients had self-referred (39%), had previously consulted their doctor about their problem or symptom (78%), were paying for their own treatment (95%), and had received acupuncture before (87%). The most common main problem or symptom reported by patients was musculo-skeletal (38%), followed by psychological (11%), general (9%), neurological (8%) and gynaecological/obstetric (8%), while 5% of patients were seeking treatment for their general well-being. In comparing our data with that of the 1988 survey, we found a number of changes over time, in particular the proportion of musculo-skeletal conditions had dropped significantly (chi(2) = 17.36, d.f. = 1, p < 0.001), indicating a wider case mix amongst patients compared with those seeking care in 1988.
This evidence from acupuncture patients' reports shows that musculo-skeletal problems provide the main reason for seeking treatment. The large dataset from this study provides a wealth of information and a fresh raft of questions which will inform future research and policy-making.
主要目的是描述针灸患者的特征，特别是他们寻求治疗的主要问题或症状。次要目的是将针灸患者的概况与1988年进行的一项患者调查的概况进行比较。
我们使用了最近一项对9408名咨询英国针灸协会成员的代表性针灸患者样本进行的前瞻性不良事件调查的数据。我们分析了患者报告的人口统计学细节、就医途径、国民医疗服务体系是否支付其治疗费用、他们之前是否就其主要问题咨询过全科医生或医院专科医生，以及他们是否是首次咨询针灸师。我们分别分析了1988年由纳菲尔德省医院信托基金资助的一项调查中的等效数据。
74%的患者为女性，平均年龄51岁。最常见的情况是，患者自行前来就诊（39%），之前就其问题或症状咨询过医生（78%），自费治疗（95%），并且之前接受过针灸治疗（87%）。患者报告的最常见主要问题或症状是肌肉骨骼问题（38%），其次是心理问题（11%）、一般问题（9%）、神经问题（8%）和妇科/产科问题（8%），而5%的患者是为了整体健康状况寻求治疗。在将我们的数据与1988年的调查数据进行比较时，我们发现了一些随时间的变化，特别是肌肉骨骼疾病的比例显著下降（卡方值=17.36，自由度=1，p<0.001），这表明与1988年寻求治疗的患者相比，患者的病例组合更加广泛。
来自针灸患者报告的这一证据表明，肌肉骨骼问题是寻求治疗的主要原因。本研究的大量数据集提供了丰富的信息和一系列新问题，将为未来的研究和政策制定提供参考。
