Self-reported Changes in Health Status in a Traditional Chinese Medicine Centre: an Observational Study

Abstract Background: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a complex medical system that includes acupuncture, pharmacology, massage, gymnastics, moxibustion and cupping among its treatments. Methods: The aim of this study was to investigate self-reported changes in health after TCM treatment that primarily involved acupuncture. An observational study of 428 patients was undertaken in a TCM centre in the city of Naples during the period 2013–2014. Six months after the first examination, we conducted telephone interviews to obtain information about the socio-demographic characteristics of patients, their clinical diagnosis and the therapy administered. The self-reported change in health status was obtained from question two of the short form-36 (SF-36) health survey questionnaire. Results: Of the 428 interviewees, 42.5% declared that they felt “much better”, and 31.8% felt “somewhat better” compared with the period before the treatment. The main reason for consultation was osteoarticular disorders (77.1%), divided into neck pain/dysfunctional limitations (41.6%), lower back pain/dysfunctional limitations (20.1%) and other reasons (15.4%). There were no statistical differences in the change in health status among the different diagnostic categories (p>0.05). Marked improvement was higher in women. Conclusions: Despite the well-known limitations of observational design, our study shows a satisfactory level of effectiveness of TCM and contributes to the assessment of TCM in actual clinical practice.