Highfield Ellen Silver, Longacre Mckenna, Sager Alan, Grodin Michael A
J Complement Integr Med. 2014 Dec;11(4):289-95. doi: 10.1515/jcim-2014-0001.
Limited research exits on utilization and cost-effectiveness of acupuncture among underserved communities, and virtually no evidence has been published with respect to refugee populations. In this study, we examined the relationship between acupuncture and the total utilization of primary care services in a cohort of refugee patients with chronic pain.
We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 16 refugee patients with chronic pain at Boston Medical Center (BMC). The research was IRB-approved. Demographics and total charges associated with primary care over 18 months were collected.
Total charges associated with primary care services decreased by 50.2% in our refugee cohort in the 12 months following acupuncture treatment, equivalent to a savings of $691 per patient per month.
This preliminary review demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in total charges associated with primary care following acupuncture treatment (p=0.0308). This study suggests the need for further investigation of the relation between acupuncture and refugees with chronic pain, as well as the financial implications of this relationship. It is unclear why refugees may seek fewer primary care services after acupuncture treatment. Additional study is needed to further explore whether this relationship is generalizable to other hospital services and to other patient populations.
关于针灸在服务不足社区的利用情况和成本效益的研究有限，而且几乎没有关于难民群体的相关证据发表。在本研究中，我们调查了一组患有慢性疼痛的难民患者中针灸与初级保健服务总利用率之间的关系。
我们回顾性地查阅了波士顿医疗中心（BMC）16名患有慢性疼痛的难民患者的病历。该研究经机构审查委员会（IRB）批准。收集了人口统计学信息以及18个月内与初级保健相关的总费用。
在接受针灸治疗后的12个月里，我们难民队列中与初级保健服务相关的总费用下降了50.2%，相当于每位患者每月节省691美元。
这项初步审查表明，针灸治疗后与初级保健相关的总费用在统计学上有显著下降（p = 0.0308）。本研究表明，有必要进一步调查针灸与患有慢性疼痛的难民之间的关系，以及这种关系的财务影响。目前尚不清楚为何难民在接受针灸治疗后寻求的初级保健服务会减少。需要进一步研究以探讨这种关系是否适用于其他医院服务和其他患者群体。
