Huemer Matthias, Graca Sandro, Bitsche Sarah, Hofmann Guenter, Armour Mike, Pichler Martin
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Oncology, Palliative Care Unit, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Northern College of Acupuncture, York, United Kingdom.
Front Med (Lausanne). 2024 Jul 31;11:1331184. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1331184. eCollection 2024.
Evidence-informed practice is crucial to perform safe and efficient health interventions. In recent years, the evidence base of acupuncture continuously increased leading to the integration of acupuncture into clinical guidelines by various leading medical associations worldwide. At the same time, recent studies showed that licensed acupuncturists are rarely utilizing scientific research to inform their practice.
This descriptive study using an online survey assessed the role of evidence-informed practice of acupuncturists in Austria, Germany, the United States of America, Australia, and New Zealand and aimed to determine critical factors relevant for promoting research literacy including demographical data, data about the clinical practice patterns, and the role and value of different information sources of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine (TCIM) practitioners.
In total, 404 acupuncturists completed the online survey that included questions about demographic characteristics, the role and value of research in clinical practice, and details about the amount and type of continuing professional education. Univariate and multivariate analysis was used to determine significant predictors of the outcome variable "importance of research in clinical practice" (numerical rating scale, 0 to 100). The results showed that the majority of acupuncturists use certified courses as primary source of continuing professional education and value experts' opinions as the most reliable source of information. Multivariate analysis showed that the importance of research is dependent on the interest in research, an interdisciplinary learning environment, and positive experiences with research including if an acupuncture study ever changed the clinical practice of practitioners.
Future educational programs should therefore focus on an interactive format aiming to promote skills to critically assess the value and practical use of research studies to improve the general practice of acupuncture.
基于证据的实践对于实施安全有效的健康干预至关重要。近年来，针灸的证据基础不断增加，导致全球各大主要医学协会将针灸纳入临床指南。与此同时，最近的研究表明，有执照的针灸师很少利用科学研究来指导他们的实践。
这项描述性研究通过在线调查评估了奥地利、德国、美国、澳大利亚和新西兰针灸师基于证据的实践的作用，旨在确定与提高研究素养相关的关键因素，包括人口统计学数据、临床实践模式数据，以及传统、补充和整合医学（TCIM）从业者不同信息来源的作用和价值。
共有404名针灸师完成了在线调查，调查内容包括人口统计学特征、研究在临床实践中的作用和价值，以及继续职业教育的数量和类型细节。采用单变量和多变量分析来确定结果变量“研究在临床实践中的重要性”（数字评分量表，0至100）的显著预测因素。结果表明，大多数针灸师将认证课程作为继续职业教育的主要来源，并将专家意见视为最可靠的信息来源。多变量分析表明，研究的重要性取决于对研究的兴趣、跨学科的学习环境，以及包括针灸研究是否改变了从业者临床实践在内的研究积极体验。
因此，未来的教育项目应侧重于互动形式，旨在提高批判性评估研究价值和实际用途的技能，以改善针灸的一般实践。
