Conboy Lisa, Quilty Mary T, Kerr Catherine, Shaw Jessica, Wayne Peter
New England School of Acupuncture, Newton, MA, USA.
J Altern Complement Med. 2008 Jul;14(6):699-705. doi: 10.1089/acm.2007.0718.
Acupuncture is a complex holistic intervention in which patient-practitioner relationships and healing changes occur in interactive, iterative ways. Qualitative research is one way to capture such complexity. This study sought to understand better the experiences of adolescents involved in acupuncture treatment.
We included a qualitative substudy as part of a pilot randomized sham-controlled study of the use of Japanese acupuncture to treat chronic pelvic pain in adolescent girls. Seven (7) interviews were attained. Themes were double-coded and analyzed using qualitative analysis software.
Regardless of treatment arm, all subjects reported positive study-related changes, often attributed to positive qualities of the patient-practitioner relationship. Participants in both the sham and verum acupuncture treatment arms reported in the narratives that they were unsure of their study assignment. In contrast, the study's close-ended success of blinding question suggests that some participants were sure of their treatment allocation.
As we continue to study acupuncture using sham controls, we need a better understanding of the possible affects of sham treatments on both treatment outcomes and success of blinding. Qualitative research is one-way to explore subtle emergent changes in participants' experiences.
针灸是一种复杂的整体干预方法，医患关系以及治疗效果的改善以互动、反复的方式呈现。定性研究是捕捉这种复杂性的一种方式。本研究旨在更好地了解参与针灸治疗的青少年的经历。
作为一项关于使用日式针灸治疗青春期女孩慢性盆腔疼痛的随机假针刺对照试验的一部分，我们开展了一项定性子研究。共进行了7次访谈。使用定性分析软件对主题进行双重编码和分析。
无论治疗组如何，所有受试者均报告了与研究相关的积极变化，这些变化通常归因于医患关系中的积极因素。假针刺组和真针刺组的参与者在叙述中均表示不确定自己的分组情况。相比之下，该研究关于盲法问题的封闭式成功结果表明，一些参与者确定了自己的治疗分配情况。
在我们继续使用假对照来研究针灸时，我们需要更好地了解假治疗对治疗结果和盲法成功的可能影响。定性研究是探索参与者经历中细微的新出现变化的一种方式。
