A clinical audit in a UK-based acupuncture private practice: assessing patient demographics, outcomes and experience

Objectives: The aim of this clinical audit was to assess patient demographics, outcomes and experience with care in patients who received acupuncture in a private practice setting in the United Kingdom. Methods: Demographic and clinical data were extracted from patients' records over a 7-year period. The Measure Yourself Medical Outcomes Profile (MYMOP) questionnaire and an adapted Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC) scale were used routinely to monitor patient outcomes over an 18-month period. Finally, a retrospective questionnaire was used to assess patient beliefs regarding treatment effectiveness, adverse events and overall experience with care. Patients not providing consent or known to be deceased were excluded. Results: Data were collected for 306 patients presenting with 376 separate health complaints, 58% of which were musculoskeletal. Follow-up outcomes (MYMOP scores (n = 51) and PGIC scale responses (n = 50)) showed a clinically significant improvement compared to baseline for the majority of health complaints (93% of PGIC scores were 'improved' and 79% MYMOP demonstrated > 1 point change). Total mean MYMOP severity scores were reduced by almost 50% (p < 0.001) after 1-4 weeks, and this was sustained in the medium-to-long term. There was a strong negative correlation (r = -0.767, p < 0.001) between the MYMOP and PGIC scores. A total of 118 health complaints were reported by 85/255 patients who responded to a retrospective questionnaire. Over 84% of patients believed that the treatments they received were 'effective' at addressing their health complaints. Seven minor adverse events were reported and four patients experienced negative treatment outcomes. Conclusions: Although musculoskeletal conditions were the most common, this audit found that patients sought treatment for a wide range of predominantly chronic health complaints, for many of which there is a currently a lack of quality evidence to support the use of acupuncture. Overall, the small sample of patients who responded to outcome questionnaires reported clinically meaningful and sustained improvements.