Availability of acupuncture in the hospitals of a major academic medical center: a pilot study.

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E. S. Highfield1, T. J. Kaptchuk2, M. J. Ott3, L. Barnes4, 5 and K.

J. Kemper6. Availability of acupuncture in the hospitals of a major

academic medical center: a pilot study. Complementary Therapies

in Medicine, Sep 2003. 1Acupuncture Program, Center for Holistic

Pediatric Education and Research, Children’s Hospital, Boston,

MA, USA; 2 Osher Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA,

USA; 3 Pain and Palliative Care Program, Zakim Center for

Integrated Therapies, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA,

USA; 4 Department of Pediatrics at Boston University, School of

Medicine, Boston, MA, USA; 5 Department of Social and

Behavioral Sciences at Boston University, School of Public Health,

Boston, MA, USA; 6 Wake Forest University School of Medicine,

Winston-Salem, NC, USA. Background: Acupuncture is widely

used by the American public, but little is known about its

availability and use in academic medical settings. We performed a

pilot study to compare acupuncture services provided by hospitals

affiliated with a major academic teaching institution, and a parallel

survey of services provided through an acupuncture school in one

city in New England. Methods: Between December 2000 and July

2001, a telephone survey was conducted of the 13 hospitals

affiliated with Harvard Medical School, and the clinics affiliated with

the New England School of Acupuncture. Results: Acupuncture

was available in 8 of the 13 hospitals. Acupuncture was provided in

ambulatory clinics in all eight hospitals, but was available to

inpatients in only one hospital. Six hospitals delivered acupuncture

through an outpatient pain treatment service, one through a

women’s health center, one through an HIV clinic, and one hospital

delivered acupuncture through two services; a program in the

anesthesia department and a multi-disciplinary holistic program in

a primary care department. In contrast, the acupuncture school

clinics provided services through an on-site clinic at the school,

through acupuncture departments at two community-based

hospitals, and through a network of 12 satellite acupuncture-

dedicated clinics operating throughout the state. Conclusion:

Acupuncture is available on a limited basis in a majority of the

teaching hospitals in this city. At the acupuncture school clinics,

there are few barriers to care. Future health care studies will need

to examine the role of acupuncture in diverse geographic settings

and to examine its impact on quality of care, teaching and its role

in research in academic centers.

 

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