Acupuncture for acute musculoskeletal pain management in the emergency department and continuity clinic: a protocol for an adaptive pragmatic randomised controlled trial.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Chronic musculoskeletal pain causes a significant burden on health and quality of life and may result from inadequate treatment of acute musculoskeletal pain. The emergency department (ED) represents a novel setting in which to test non-pharmacological interventions early in the pain trajectory to prevent the transition from acute to chronic pain. Acupuncture is increasingly recognised as a safe, affordable and effective treatment for pain and anxiety in the clinic setting, but it has yet to be established as a primary treatment option in the ED.

Methods and analysis

This pragmatic clinical trial uses a two-stage adaptive randomised design to determine the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of acupuncture initiated in the ED and continued in outpatient

SUBMITTER: Eucker SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9511597 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature