The Feasibility of Developing an Inpatient Acupuncture Program at a Tertiary Care Pediatric Hospital

Abstract

Use of complementary and integrative health approaches has increased significantly in recent decades, with hospital-based acupuncture programs becoming more common. This article presents the feasibility of developing an inpatient acupuncture program at a pediatric hospital. In January 2014, Seattle Children's Hospital, a tertiary care pediatric hospital serving patients from a five-state region, began a 6-month pilot project offering inpatient acupuncture. During the pilot, inpatient acupuncture and related manual therapies were provided to pediatric patients age 0-23 years who were admitted to Seattle Children's Hospital or were seen for an outpatient surgical procedure. The following data were collected: the reason for the acupuncture consult, type and number of treatments provided, any reported response to treatment, and any reported adverse events. Patients and referring providers gave feedback via questionnaires. During the pilot program, 338 treatments were provided to 87 patients. High interest, demand, and positive feedback from hospital providers, patients, and families led to the development of a full-time inpatient acupuncture program. The positive response to Seattle Children's inpatient acupuncture program with feasibility and acceptability demonstrated by increasing consults and patient and provider questionnaire data suggest that similar programs may be of interest to other pediatric hospitals.