Patients' expectancy scale of acupuncture: Development and clinical performance test

Area of Science:

• Integrative and Complementary Medicine
• Psychometrics
• Clinical Trial Methodology

Background:

• Patient expectancy significantly influences treatment outcomes in various medical fields.
• Accurate measurement of acupuncture expectancy is crucial for understanding treatment effects.
• Existing tools may lack conciseness or specific relevance to acupuncture.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a concise, easy-to-understand tool for evaluating acupuncture expectancy.
• To create a scale that aligns with the unique characteristics of acupuncture treatment.

Main Methods:

• The Delphi consensus method was employed to draft the initial scale items.
• Rigorous testing was conducted for reliability, validity, discrimination, and feasibility at item and scale levels.
• A total of 145 individuals participated in the validation phase of the study.

Main Results:

• The final Patients' Expectancy Scale of Acupuncture (PESA) comprises 11 items across four themes: disease-related, treatment-related, process-related, and outcome-related.
• The scale demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.90, test-retest = 0.74) and content validity (Scale-CVI/Ave = 0.92).
• Excellent discrimination (CR > 3.00) and feasibility (completion rate = 100%, completion time ≈ 5 min) were confirmed.

Conclusions:

• The PESA is a reliable, valid, and feasible instrument for assessing acupuncture expectancy.
• This 11-item scale has strong potential for evaluating patient expectations in acupuncture clinical trials.
• The PESA's four-themed structure provides a comprehensive measure of patient expectations.