Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Acupuncture

For decision makers in healthcare the effectiveness of acupuncture is one relevant aspect. In an NIH-funded patient-level data meta-analyses it was found that acupuncture for back and neck pain, shoulder pain, osteoarthritis, and headache and migraine had a statistically significant and clinically relevant effect when compared to non-acupuncture controls. Result as well as confounding and effect moderating factors will be critically discussed. In times of limited resources for health care, economic analyses are a useful tool to provide information that can support economically reasonable decisions. Over the last 15 years several cost-effectiveness on acupuncture for chronic pain were published and summarized the systematic reviews, showing that the provision of acupuncture could be cost effective. Key insights: The workshop participants will get insights into the critical reflected interpretation of the available effectiveness and cost-effectiveness data on acupuncture for chronic pain. They will gain knowledge about factors contributing to the size of the acupuncture effect. Furthermore, they will learn about basic methodological aspects of pragmatic trials and cost-effectiveness analyses and their advantages and limitations.