Experimental Pathology Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Portugal; Biophysics Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Portugal; Institute of Integrated Clinical Practice, Dentistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Portugal; Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), Area of Environment Genetics and Oncobiology (CIMAGO), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; CNC.IBILI Consortium, University of Coimbra, Portugal.
Institute of Integrated Clinical Practice, Dentistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Portugal.
Complement Ther Med. 2019 Dec;47:102227. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2019.102227. Epub 2019 Nov 1.
Acupuncture is one of the most popular and most frequently used complementary medicines worldwide, with benefits for several health conditions when integrated into Western medical practice.
To perform a retrospective analysis of patient characteristics, health conditions and patient experience in a teaching medical acupuncture appointment at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra/Coimbra Hospital and University Centre.
500 medical records between January 2010 and December 2015 were accessed and 324 were included. The characteristics examined include gender, age, health conditions treated, number of acupuncture needles used in each treatment, professional who referred the patient, type of stimulation, number of treatment sessions and patient experience regarding the degree of improvement at the end of treatment.
Patients range from 13 to 92 years old, with most between 40 and 59 yo (40.7%). In total, 71.3% were female and 28.7% male. The most commonly treated health conditions were musculoskeletal symptoms (60.4%), nervous and headaches (18.2%) and orofacial (11.3%). The median number of appointments was 6 and the median needles used per treatment was 12. In 52.2% of consultations, electrostimulation was performed. The majority of patients were referred by physical and rehabilitative medicine and dentists. 85.3% of patients reported improvement at the end of the treatment, with those who performed more sessions presenting a higher improvement.
This pioneering study in Portugal presents similar results to other countries regarding patient characterization. The high success rate (85.3%) regarding patient improvement recommends the use of acupuncture as an effective complementary therapy.
针灸是全球最受欢迎和使用最频繁的补充医学之一，当与西方医学实践相结合时，对多种健康状况都有好处。
对科英布拉大学/科英布拉医院和大学中心医学针灸治疗的患者特征、健康状况和患者体验进行回顾性分析。
查阅了 2010 年 1 月至 2015 年 12 月的 500 份病历，其中 324 份被纳入分析。检查的特征包括性别、年龄、治疗的健康状况、每次治疗使用的针灸针数量、转诊医生、刺激类型、治疗次数以及患者在治疗结束时对改善程度的体验。
患者年龄在 13 岁至 92 岁之间，大多数在 40 至 59 岁之间（40.7%）。共有 71.3%为女性，28.7%为男性。最常见的治疗健康状况是肌肉骨骼症状（60.4%）、神经和头痛（18.2%）以及口腔面部问题（11.3%）。中位数就诊次数为 6 次，中位数每次治疗使用的针数为 12 根。在 52.2%的咨询中，进行了电刺激。大多数患者由物理和康复医学医生以及牙医转诊。85.3%的患者在治疗结束时报告有改善，那些接受更多治疗的患者改善程度更高。
这项在葡萄牙的开创性研究在患者特征方面与其他国家的结果相似。高成功率（85.3%）表明患者改善情况良好，推荐将针灸作为一种有效的补充疗法。
