Fidelity to the acupuncture intervention protocol in the ACUpuncture In The EmergencY department for pain management (ACUITY) trial: Expanding the gold standard of STRICTA and CONSORT guidelines

Background: Acupuncture shows promise as an effective nonpharmacologic option for reduction of acute pain in the emergency department (ED). Following CONSORT and STRICTA guidelines, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) generally report intervention details and acupoint options, but fidelity to acupun...

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Main Authors: Arya Nielsen, Natalie L. Dyer, Claudia Lechuga, M. Diane McKee, Jeffery A. Dusek
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-06-01
Series:Integrative Medicine Research
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213422024000283
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author Arya Nielsen
Natalie L. Dyer
Claudia Lechuga
M. Diane McKee
Jeffery A. Dusek
author_facet Arya Nielsen
Natalie L. Dyer
Claudia Lechuga
M. Diane McKee
Jeffery A. Dusek
author_sort Arya Nielsen
collection DOAJ
description Background: Acupuncture shows promise as an effective nonpharmacologic option for reduction of acute pain in the emergency department (ED). Following CONSORT and STRICTA guidelines, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) generally report intervention details and acupoint options, but fidelity to acupuncture interventions, critical to reliability in intervention research, is rarely reported. Methods: ACUITY is an NCCIH-funded, multi-site feasibility RCT of acupuncture in 3 EDs (Cleveland, Nashville, and San Diego). ACUITY acupuncturists were trained in study design, responsive acupuncture manualization protocol, logistics and real-time recording of session details via REDCap forms created to track fidelity. Results: Across 3 recruiting sites, 79 participants received acupuncture: 51 % women, 43 % Black/African American, with heterogeneous acute pain sites at baseline: 32 % low back, 22 % extremity, 20 % abdominal, 10 % head. Pragmatically, participants were treated in ED common areas (52 %), private rooms (39 %), and semi-private rooms (9 %). Objective tracking found 98 % adherence to the six components of the acupuncture manualization protocol: staging, number of insertion points (M = 13.2, range 2–22), needle retention time (M = 23.5 min, range 4–52), session length (M = 40.3 min, range 20–66), whether general recommendations were provided and completion of the session form. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first RCT to assess and report fidelity to an acupuncture protocol. Fidelity monitoring will be fundamental for ACUITY2, which would be a future definitive, multi-site RCT. Furthermore, we recommend that fidelity to acupuncture interventions be added to CONSORT and STRICTA reporting guidelines in future RCTs. Protocol registration: The protocol of this study is registered at clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04880733.
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spelling doaj-art-15a702e7d76241768a182cca8efebaaa2025-08-20T02:54:39ZengElsevierIntegrative Medicine Research2213-42202024-06-0113210104810.1016/j.imr.2024.101048Fidelity to the acupuncture intervention protocol in the ACUpuncture In The EmergencY department for pain management (ACUITY) trial: Expanding the gold standard of STRICTA and CONSORT guidelinesArya Nielsen0Natalie L. Dyer1Claudia Lechuga2M. Diane McKee3Jeffery A. Dusek4Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, New York, NY, USA; Corresponding author at: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Department of Family Medicine & Community Health, 1325 Madison Avenue, Suite L5-40, New York, NY 10029, USA.Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute, University of California- Irvine, Irvine, CA, USADepartment of Family and Social Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USADepartment of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USASusan Samueli Integrative Health Institute, University of California- Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Department of Medicine, General Internal Medicine, University of California- Irvine, Irvine, CA, USABackground: Acupuncture shows promise as an effective nonpharmacologic option for reduction of acute pain in the emergency department (ED). Following CONSORT and STRICTA guidelines, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) generally report intervention details and acupoint options, but fidelity to acupuncture interventions, critical to reliability in intervention research, is rarely reported. Methods: ACUITY is an NCCIH-funded, multi-site feasibility RCT of acupuncture in 3 EDs (Cleveland, Nashville, and San Diego). ACUITY acupuncturists were trained in study design, responsive acupuncture manualization protocol, logistics and real-time recording of session details via REDCap forms created to track fidelity. Results: Across 3 recruiting sites, 79 participants received acupuncture: 51 % women, 43 % Black/African American, with heterogeneous acute pain sites at baseline: 32 % low back, 22 % extremity, 20 % abdominal, 10 % head. Pragmatically, participants were treated in ED common areas (52 %), private rooms (39 %), and semi-private rooms (9 %). Objective tracking found 98 % adherence to the six components of the acupuncture manualization protocol: staging, number of insertion points (M = 13.2, range 2–22), needle retention time (M = 23.5 min, range 4–52), session length (M = 40.3 min, range 20–66), whether general recommendations were provided and completion of the session form. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first RCT to assess and report fidelity to an acupuncture protocol. Fidelity monitoring will be fundamental for ACUITY2, which would be a future definitive, multi-site RCT. Furthermore, we recommend that fidelity to acupuncture interventions be added to CONSORT and STRICTA reporting guidelines in future RCTs. Protocol registration: The protocol of this study is registered at clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04880733.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213422024000283Acupuncture therapyAcute painFidelity to intervention
spellingShingle Arya Nielsen
Natalie L. Dyer
Claudia Lechuga
M. Diane McKee
Jeffery A. Dusek
Fidelity to the acupuncture intervention protocol in the ACUpuncture In The EmergencY department for pain management (ACUITY) trial: Expanding the gold standard of STRICTA and CONSORT guidelines
Integrative Medicine Research
Acupuncture therapy
Acute pain
Fidelity to intervention
title Fidelity to the acupuncture intervention protocol in the ACUpuncture In The EmergencY department for pain management (ACUITY) trial: Expanding the gold standard of STRICTA and CONSORT guidelines
title_full Fidelity to the acupuncture intervention protocol in the ACUpuncture In The EmergencY department for pain management (ACUITY) trial: Expanding the gold standard of STRICTA and CONSORT guidelines
title_fullStr Fidelity to the acupuncture intervention protocol in the ACUpuncture In The EmergencY department for pain management (ACUITY) trial: Expanding the gold standard of STRICTA and CONSORT guidelines
title_full_unstemmed Fidelity to the acupuncture intervention protocol in the ACUpuncture In The EmergencY department for pain management (ACUITY) trial: Expanding the gold standard of STRICTA and CONSORT guidelines
title_short Fidelity to the acupuncture intervention protocol in the ACUpuncture In The EmergencY department for pain management (ACUITY) trial: Expanding the gold standard of STRICTA and CONSORT guidelines
title_sort fidelity to the acupuncture intervention protocol in the acupuncture in the emergency department for pain management acuity trial expanding the gold standard of stricta and consort guidelines
topic Acupuncture therapy
Acute pain
Fidelity to intervention
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213422024000283
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