Abstract
Little is known of acupuncture patients' experiences and opinions of clinical trials, and what may influence their compliance when participating in an acupuncture trial. To explore the potential factors that influence patients' choice and determinants to participate in acupuncture clinical trials. Ten qualitative, in-depth interviews were conducted with patients from acupuncture clinics in Beijing, who had previously participated in acupuncture clinical trials. Four main themes emerged from the interview data: effectiveness of the treatment, convenience of participating in a trial, doctor-participant communication, and participant acceptance of the treatment (or the trial). Effectiveness of acupuncture in treating the health condition was the most important factor for participant adherence. Pragmatics of treatment schedules, travel and attendance burden, together with confidence in the doctor's ability additionally influenced trial and treatment compliance. In-depth interviews suggest that treatment effectiveness, the pragmatics of attending treatment sessions, and the expertise and attitudes of acupuncturists are determining factors of participation and compliance in acupuncture clinical trials. Participants' confidence in, and expectation of, acupuncture may facilitate compliance, while their fear of acupuncture and negative perceptions of the trial's purpose may reduce treatment compliance. Compliance may be facilitated by enhanced doctor-patient communication, personalized treatment programs, and feedback on treatment outcomes.
Highlights
Little is known of acupuncture patients’ experiences and opinions of clinical trials, and what may influence their compliance when participating in an acupuncture trial.Received: November 5, 2019Accepted: April 1, 2020Published: April 16, 2020Peer Review History: PLOS recognizes the benefits of transparency in the peer review process; we enable the publication of all of the content of peer review and author responses alongside final, published articles
In-depth interviews were conducted with patients from acupuncture clinics in Beijing, who had previously participated in acupuncture clinical trials
In-depth interviews suggest that treatment effectiveness, the pragmatics of attending treatment sessions, and the expertise and attitudes of acupuncturists are determining factors of participation and compliance in acupuncture clinical trials
Summary
Little is known of acupuncture patients’ experiences and opinions of clinical trials, and what may influence their compliance when participating in an acupuncture trial.Received: November 5, 2019Accepted: April 1, 2020Published: April 16, 2020Peer Review History: PLOS recognizes the benefits of transparency in the peer review process; we enable the publication of all of the content of peer review and author responses alongside final, published articles. Little is known of acupuncture patients’ experiences and opinions of clinical trials, and what may influence their compliance when participating in an acupuncture trial. If the patients were randomly assigned to an acupuncture group but did not prefer the treatment regime, this may lead to a higher rate of trial withdrawal or intervention attrition. Attrition and poor compliance are common in acupuncture trials, and the resulting missing data has a serious impact on the robustness of study results. As reported in our previous literature review, only one third of published acupuncture trials in China reported no participant withdrawal or missing follow-up data. It is necessary to understand from the participants’ perspective what factors may positively or negatively influence their adherence to both the trial and to the intervention treatments
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