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Published on: January 10, 2025
Adverse events associated with acupuncture: a prospective survey
Ji-Eun Park1, Myeong Soo Lee, Jun-Yong Choi
1Division of Standard Research, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea.
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (New York, N.Y.)
|September 1, 2010
Summary
Acupuncture therapy is generally safe, with most adverse events like bleeding and pain being minor and resolving quickly. Experienced practitioners following guidelines minimize risks.
Area of Science:
- Integrative Medicine
- Traditional East Asian Medicine
Background:
- Acupuncture is a widely used therapy.
- Understanding its adverse event profile is crucial for patient safety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate adverse events (AEs) in acupuncture therapy.
- To identify risks and assess causality of AEs.
Main Methods:
- 13 Oriental medicine doctors prospectively recorded treatment sessions and AEs over 5 weeks.
- A standardized record form captured patient, treatment, AE, and causality details.
Main Results:
- 3071 sessions on 2226 patients yielded 99 AEs (3.2% rate).
- Common AEs included hemorrhage (32%), hematoma (28%), and needle site pain (13%).
- Most AEs resolved with or without continued treatment; 92% were attributed to acupuncture.
Conclusions:
- Acupuncture therapy is associated with AEs, primarily minor.
- No serious adverse events were reported in this study.
- Experienced practitioners adhering to guidelines ensure acupuncture's safety.