ArticlePloS one2020
Factors influencing participant compliance in acupuncture trials: An in-depth interview study.
Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 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
18 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 34 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness and safety of auricular therapy for polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Pooled it
- Acupressure On Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting among Breast Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP · 2024Pooled it
- Acupuncture for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Cancer medicine · 2023Pooled it
- Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Research in nursing & health · 2023Pooled it
- Participant experiences receiving acupuncture for acute musculoskeletal pain in an emergency department: A qualitative evaluation.PloS one · 2025Trial
- Effects of Standard Tai Chi on Exercise Capacity and Mental Health in Exercise-Deprived Overweight/Obese Adults and Assessment of Participant Adherence.Chinese journal of integrative medicine · 2024Trial
- A patient perspective on applying intermittent fasting in gynecologic cancer.BMC research notes · 2023Trial
- Why some embrace and others hesitate? A behavioral analysis of insomnia sufferers' engagement with acupuncture treatment.World journal of psychiatry · 2025Article
- Effect of acupressure on smoking cessation in young smokers with nicotine dependence: A mixed methods study.Integrative medicine research · 2025Article
- Inadequate Evidence for Acupuncture as an Alternative or Adjunct to Antidepressants/Psychotherapy for Postpartum Depression: A Bayesian Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment · 2024Review
- Development and validation of the treatment expectation scale for patients with liver cancer.Archives of medical science : AMS · 2024Article
- Acupuncture and related acupoint therapies for smoking cessation: An umbrella review and updated meta-analysis.Tobacco induced diseases · 2024Review
- The Influence of Medicine Approaches on Patient Trust, Satisfaction, and Loyalty.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Predictors of the intention to use traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) using extended theory of planned behavior: a cross-sectional study among TCM users in Hong Kong.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2022Article
- Methodological challenges in design and conduct of randomised controlled trials in acupuncture.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2022Article
- Article
- Overall Reporting Descriptions of Acupuncture for Chronic Pain in Randomized Controlled Trials in English Journals.Journal of pain research · 2021Review
- Effect of low frequency repetitive magnetic stimulation at Shenmen (HT7) on sleep quality in patients with chronic insomnia.Medicine · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionLittle is known of acupuncture patients' experiences and opinions of clinical trials, and what may influence their compliance when participating in an acupuncture trial.
objectivesTo explore the potential factors that influence patients' choice and determinants to participate in acupuncture clinical trials.
methodsTen qualitative, in-depth interviews were conducted with patients from acupuncture clinics in Beijing, who had previously participated in acupuncture clinical trials.
resultsFour main themes emerged from the interview data: effectiveness of the treatment, convenience of participating in a trial, doctor-participant communication, and participant acceptance of the treatment (or the trial). Effectiveness of acupuncture in treating the health condition was the most important factor for participant adherence. Pragmatics of treatment schedules, travel and attendance burden, together with confidence in the doctor's ability additionally influenced trial and treatment compliance.
conclusionsIn-depth interviews suggest that treatment effectiveness, the pragmatics of attending treatment sessions, and the expertise and attitudes of acupuncturists are determining factors of participation and compliance in acupuncture clinical trials. Participants' confidence in, and expectation of, acupuncture may facilitate compliance, while their fear of acupuncture and negative perceptions of the trial's purpose may reduce treatment compliance. Compliance may be facilitated by enhanced doctor-patient communication, personalized treatment programs, and feedback on treatment outcomes.
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.