Evaluating the outcomes and patient experience of group and individual acupuncture in an NHS cancer care setting: a mixed-methods study

Acupuncture for cancer care is safe and effective and can be provided in group or individual settings. Previously, group acupuncture (GA) has been compared with individual acupuncture (IA) for specific cancer-related symptoms or patient experience, but has not correlated symptoms with patient experience between GA and IA. This service evaluation, using a mixed-methods design, aimed to compare GA with IA for symptom-related outcomes, and patients experience and explore their inter-relationships, in order to inform future development of the service.

Cancer patients referred to the acupuncture service in a UK NHS hospital received six treatments of GA or IA. Outcomes were gathered using Measure Yourself Concerns and Wellbeing (MYCaW) questionnaires pre- and post-treatment. Experience of acupuncture was gathered post-treatment using a questionnaire and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Forty-eight participants' data were analysed. There were statistically significant improvements in outcomes overall, with no difference between GA and IA. Most participants had a positive experience; IA participants focused more on the relationship with their acupuncturist, whilst GA participants focused more on environmental factors. For a few GA participants, the group experience was negative, but data synthesis revealed this did not impact symptom-related outcomes.

In both GA and IA arms, symptom-related outcomes mostly improved alongside a positive experience. For those participants for whom GA was not an ideal setting, there was no effect on symptom-related outcomes. These results may be of relevance when establishing acupuncture services in supportive cancer care settings.