In a systematic review of the literature, researchers from the GRACE trial identified and categorized barriers and facilitators related to integrating acupuncture into the US healthcare system.
The review was published online ahead of print in the Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine.
Acupuncture is widely practiced in the United States and has been shown to be effective in multiple clinical applications for a variety of conditions. Yet, its integration into the healthcare system has been uneven.
In their review of the existing evidence, the authors found:
- Understanding and addressing individual patients’ needs, awareness, concerns, and financial constraints is essential
- Healthcare providers play an important role in communicating information about acupuncture to their patients and building trust
- Organization-level changes are needed to address lack of space in healthcare facilities, lack of referral systems, and lack of credentialing and privileging procedures
- Policies related to payment by both private and public insurers have been slow to change
The authors stress that studies testing implementation of acupuncture interventions in real-world settings can help to address barriers to integration.
“Results of this study can be used to optimize strategies to effectively implement acupuncture into clinical practice, and ultimately influence policy changes,” they wrote.
GRACE, an NIH Collaboratory Trial, is a pragmatic clinical trial testing real-world implementation of acupuncture and guided relaxation for patients with pain associated with sickle cell disease. The trial is supported within the NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory through the NIH HEAL Initiative under an award administered by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Learn more about the GRACE trial.