Faculty Scholarship

Objective: There is a growing need for students and practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine to gain experience with standardized data collection, patient outcomes measurement, and practice-based research. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of a process for standardized data collection that could eventually be adopted for clinical, research, and quality assurance purposes. Settings/location: The setting for this study was an acupuncture and Oriental medicine teaching clinic in Bloomington, Minnesota. 

Methods: Four (4) aspects of data collection were assessed and improved, including intake and post-treatment questionnaires, follow-up with patients, integration of data collection into clinic flow, and commitment of resources to the project. 

Outcome measures: The outcomes measures were data collection and missing data rates, burden on patients and clinic staff, and efficiency of data entry. Results: Revision to the data collection process resulted in decreased burden to patients and staff, more detailed and aggressive follow-up protocols, enhanced training for clinic staff, and increased personnel and data related resources.

 Conclusions: The systematic collection of descriptive and clinical characteristics can be accomplished in a teaching clinic with thoughtful attention paid to data collection protocols, dedicated resources, and the involvement of all relevant personnel.

 Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe patients who seek treatment at an acupuncture and Oriental medicine teaching clinic in the United States, and to systematically measure and describe patients' responses after treatment using a prospective study design.

Design: This is a prospective survey of clinic patients at intake and one month following the initial treatment.

Settings and location: Data were collected in an acupuncture and Oriental medicine teaching clinic located in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Subjects: Of 661 new patients who met eligibility criteria, 485 consented to participate.

Interventions: Patients were administered two self-report questionnaires: one prior to their initial treatment, and a second sent by mail one month later.

Outcome measures: Data collected at intake included demographics such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, education, and employment, as well as main presenting complaint and chronicity. Patients were also asked at intake whether they had consulted with another health care provider, if they were under continued care, and if they had previous experience with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatment. Outcome measures included severity, improvement, and satisfaction. Patients were additionally asked if they continued with TCM care for their presenting condition.

Results: Demographics of patients presenting to this teaching clinic were similar to those reported in other outpatient TCM settings. The majority of patients had no previous experience with TCM, and a large percentage was referred by students. Pain was the most common presenting condition, followed closely by wellness care. One month following treatment, most patients reported improvement and satisfaction with care.

Conclusions: Standardized data collection and follow-up resulted in a description of patients and outcomes in an acupuncture and Oriental medicine teaching clinic, which can be used for research, educational, quality assurance, and marketing purposes.