What do general practitioners think about acupuncture?

Area of Science:

• Integrative Medicine
• General Practice
• Acupuncture Research

Background:

• Growing interest in complementary therapies within healthcare.
• Need to assess general practitioners' (GPs) perspectives on acupuncture.
• Lack of recent data on GP attitudes towards acupuncture in specific health units.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the opinions of GPs in a Turin Local Health Unit (LHU) regarding acupuncture.
• To compare these findings with existing international literature.
• To identify factors influencing GP acceptance of acupuncture.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study utilizing a questionnaire administered via phone.
• Survey conducted in October 2013 among 389 GPs in a specific Turin LHU.
• Achieved an 81.5% response rate.

Main Results:

• 95% of responding GPs favor acupuncture.
• 84.2% believe acupuncture is scientifically supported.
• 66.2% referred patients to acupuncturists in the past year, and 82% support acupuncture training for GPs.

Conclusions:

• GPs in the studied Turin LHU exhibit a strong positive attitude towards acupuncture.
• High interest may be linked to local acupuncture services and a reputable training institution.
• Findings suggest a growing acceptance and integration of acupuncture within general practice.