Effective Healthcare
Bulletin on the effectiveness of health service interventions for decision makers
Source: Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York
- Acupuncture involves the stimulation of specific points (acupoints) on the skin, usually by the insertion of needles. It is widely used in both private and NHS settings. It has been estimated that one million acupuncture treatments are given on the NHS and two million in the private sector in England each year.
- In the West, acupuncture is most commonly used for the treatment of chronic pain, particularly musculoskeletal complaints. Whilst there are many RCTs evaluating the effectiveness of acupuncture, the majority are of poor quality, and provide conflicting evidence.
- Acupuncture appears to be effective for postoperative nausea and vomiting in adults, chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting and for postoperative dental pain.
- Current evidence suggests that acupuncture is unlikely to be of benefit for obesity, smoking cessation and tinnitus. For most other conditions, the available evidence is insufficient to guide clinical decisions.
- Acupuncture appears a relatively safe treatment in the hands of suitably qualified practitioners, with serious adverse events being extremely rare.
The Effective Health Care bulletins are based on systematic review and synthesis of research on clinical effectiveness, cost effectiveness and acceptability of health service interventions. This is carried out by a research team using established methodological guidelines, with advice from expert consultants for each topic. Great care is taken to ensure that the work, and the conclusions reached, fairly and accurately summarise the research findings. The University of York accepts no responsibility for any consequent damage arising from the use of Effective Health Care.
Note: The contents of the bulletins should be considered in relation to the time of original publication. Significant new research evidence is likely to have become available since then.
The bulletins are also available free of charge via the World Wide Web. The address is: www.york.ac.uk/inst/crd/ehcb.htm
Enquiries concerning the bulletins should be addressed to:
Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York, York, YO10 5DD. Telephone: +44 (0) 1904 321040; Fax: +44 (0) 1904 321041; email: crd@york.ac.uk
Acupuncture. Effective Health Care, November 2001, Volume 7, Number 2. ISSN: 0965-0288
