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A qualitative exploration of how patients conceptualise their acupuncturists: Technicians, caring professionals, and
Felicity L Bishop1, George T Lewith2
1Centre for Applications of Health Psychology, Faculty of Social Human and Mathematical Sciences, Building 44 Highfield Campus, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom.
Objectives:
To explore how patients conceptualise acupuncturists, the meanings ascribed to the therapeutic relationship and valued therapeutic behaviours.
Design:
Qualitative study. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews explored patients' experiences of acupuncture. A diverse sample of 35 participants took part; they had used acupuncture for a variety of predominantly chronic conditions. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify themes.
Setting:
Southern England.
Results:
Participants conceptualised acupuncturists in three ways: technician, caring professional, and wise and gifted healer. Each conceptualisation had different implications for patient health. For example, lifestyle advice from a wise healer was seen as inspirational wisdom, while lifestyle advice from a caring professional was seen as evidence of caring. Participants inferred empathy when acupuncturists took a detailed history, took notes during treatment, and provided therapeutic commentaries. Participants inferred knowledge and/or wisdom when acupuncturists made changes to treatments over time, provided explanatory frameworks for their symptoms, and made effective recommendations concerning lifestyle and health behaviours.
Conclusions:
The findings provide novel insights into how patients view acupuncturists, suggesting acupuncture-specific models that do not directly map onto conventional models of doctor-patient relationships. Understanding how patients think about their acupuncturist and make sense of clinical interactions could help acupuncturists to hone their therapeutic skills.
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