Abstract

Background: Acupuncture is a promising modality in clinical practice, where the participants' experiences are crucial to acupuncture's use and effects. However, a comprehensive review synthesising participant experiences throughout treatment sessions is lacking. This study aims to explore the qualitative literature regarding participants' experiences of acupuncture as a potential treatment modality. Methods: A qualitative systematic review of existing literature was conducted through AMED, MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklist was employed to evaluate research quality. Subsequently, the data were extracted and synthesised utilising the JBI Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument (QARI) tool and data synthesis was carried out through meta-aggregation. Results: A total of twenty-eight articles were incorporated into the analysis. Four synthesised findings were identified: (1) Before acupuncture: last trust and hope; (2) During acupuncture: relaxing and calming; (3) After acupuncture: mind-body effects; and (4) Practitioner-participant relationship. Conclusion: The findings highlight the changes participants experienced before and after acupuncture sessions. Implementing additional promotional initiatives for acupuncture can increase public awareness and encourage individuals to consider it an early symptom management option. Review registration: This review was registered in PROSPERO (No. CRD42023475373).

RAS ID

71469

Document Type

Journal Article

Date of Publication

11-1-2024

Volume

57

Funding Information

Edith Cowan University

School

School of Nursing and Midwifery / School of Science

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Publisher

Elsevier

Comments

Liu, W., Towell-Barnard, A., Lee, K. H., & Kang, T. L. (2024). Participants experiences regarding the use of acupuncture as a treatment modality: A qualitative systematic review. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 101866. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2024.101866

Download

Included in

Therapeutics Commons

Share

 
COinS
 

Link to publisher version (DOI)

10.1016/j.ctcp.2024.101866