Patient-based outcome assessment instruments in acupuncture research.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Outcome assessment can support the therapeutic process by providing a
way to track symptoms and functionality over time, providing insights to clinicians
and patients, as well as offering a common language to discuss patient behavior/functioning.
OBJECTIVES: In this article, we examine the patient-based outcome assessment (PBOA)
instruments that have been used to determine outcomes in acupuncture clinical research
and highlight measures that are feasible, practical, economical, reliable, valid,
and responsive to clinical change. The aims of this review were to assess and identify
the commonly available PBOA measures, describe a framework for identifying appropriate
sets of measures, and address the challenges associated with these measures and acupuncture.
Instruments were evaluated in terms of feasibility, practicality, economy, reliability,
validity, and responsiveness to clinical change. METHODS: This study was a systematic
review. A total of 582 abstracts were reviewed using PubMed (from inception through
April 2009). RESULTS: A total of 582 citations were identified. After screening of
title/abstract, 212 articles were excluded. From the remaining 370 citations, 258
manuscripts identified explicit PBOA; 112 abstracts did not include any PBOA. The
five most common PBOA instruments identified were the Visual Analog Scale, Symptom
Diary, Numerical Pain Rating Scales, SF-36, and depression scales such as the Beck
Depression Inventory. CONCLUSIONS: The way a questionnaire or scale is administered
can have an effect on the outcome. Also, developing and validating outcome measures
can be costly and difficult. Therefore, reviewing the literature on existing measures
before creating or modifying PBOA instruments can significantly reduce the burden
of developing a new measure.
Type
Journal articleSubject
Acupuncture TherapyDiagnostic Techniques and Procedures
Humans
Outcome Assessment (Health Care)
Research
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/3330Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1089/acm.2009.0316Publication Info
Khorsan, Raheleh; York, Alexandra; Coulter, Ian D; Wurzman, Rachel; Walter, Joan AG;
& Coeytaux, Remy R (2010). Patient-based outcome assessment instruments in acupuncture research. J Altern Complement Med, 16(1). pp. 27-35. 10.1089/acm.2009.0316. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/3330.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
Collections
More Info
Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Remy Rene Coeytaux
Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health

Articles written by Duke faculty are made available through the campus open access policy. For more information see: Duke Open Access Policy
Rights for Collection: Scholarly Articles
Works are deposited here by their authors, and represent their research and opinions, not that of Duke University. Some materials and descriptions may include offensive content. More info