Trial reportBMC gastroenterology2012
Cost-effectiveness of acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome: findings from an economic evaluation conducted alongside a pragmatic randomised controlled trial in primary care.
Trial report in BMC gastroenterology, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 37 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparison between the Effects of Acupuncture Relative to Other Controls on Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis.Pain research & management · 2019Pooled it
- Cost-effectiveness of interventions for medically unexplained symptoms: A systematic review.PloS one · 2018Pooled it
- Effectiveness of acupuncture to treat irritable bowel syndrome: a meta-analysis.World journal of gastroenterology · 2014Pooled it
- Moxibustion in the management of irritable bowel syndrome: systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2013Pooled it
- A trial-based economic evaluation of peppermint oil for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.United European gastroenterology journal · 2021Trial
- Cost effectiveness of therapist delivered cognitive behavioural therapy and web-based self-management in irritable bowel syndrome: the ACTIB randomised trial.BMC gastroenterology · 2021Trial
- Acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome: 2-year follow-up of a randomised controlled trial.Acupuncture in medicine : journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society · 2017Trial
- Acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome: primary care based pragmatic randomised controlled trial.BMC gastroenterology · 2012Trial
- Examination of Methods to Estimate Productivity Losses in an Economic Evaluation: Using Foodborne Illness as a Case Study.PharmacoEconomics · 2025Article
- Using economic evaluations to support acupuncture reimbursement decisions: current evidence and gaps.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2022Article
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- Change in Quality of Life for Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome following Referral to a Gastroenterologist: A Cohort Study.PloS one · 2015Article
- Article
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Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThere is insufficient evidence to determine whether acupuncture is a cost-effective treatment for irritable bowel syndrome. The objective of this study is to assess the cost-effectiveness of acupuncture as an adjunct to usual care versus usual care alone for the treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
methodsCost-utility analysis conducted alongside a pragmatic, multicentre, randomised controlled trial. 233 patients with irritable bowel syndrome were randomly allocated to either acupuncture plus usual care, or usual care alone. Cost-effectiveness outcomes are expressed in terms of incremental cost per quality adjusted life year (QALY) at one year after randomisation. Costs were estimated from the UK National Health Service perspective for a time horizon of one year. Cost-utility ratios were estimated based on complete case analysis for the base case analysis, where only patients with available EQ-5D and cost data were included. Sensitivity analyses comprised a multiple imputation approach for missing data and a subgroup analysis for the more severe cases of IBS.
resultsThe base case analysis showed acupuncture to be marginally more effective than usual care (gain of 0.0035 QALYs, 95% CI: -0.00395 to 0.0465) and more expensive (incremental cost of £218 per patient (95% CI: 55.87 to 492.87) resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of approximately £62,500. Sensitivity analysis using multiple imputation for missing data resulted in acupuncture appearing less effective and more costly than usual care, so usual care is dominant. Subgroup analysis selecting the most severe cases of IBS (Symptom Severity Score of over 300) suggested that acupuncture may be a cost-effective treatment option for this group, with a cost-per-QALY of £6,500.
conclusionsAcupuncture as an adjunct to usual care is not a cost-effective option for the whole IBS population; however it may be cost-effective for those with more severe irritable bowel syndrome.
trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN08827905.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.