Acupuncture in mainstream health care

doi:10.1136/bmj.38954.627361.BE

BMJ 2006;333:611-612 (23 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.38954.627361.BE

Editorial

Acupuncture in mainstream health care

Is cost effective for chronic non-specific low back pain andmigraine

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Lower back pain is a common ailment that places a considerableburden on society in terms of reduced quality of life and lostproductivity.¹ In this week's BMJ an economic evaluation byRatcliffe and colleagues shows that acupuncture is relativelycost effective as an adjunct to usual care for patients withpersistent non-specific lower back pain.² The study is basedon a well conducted pragmatic randomised controlled trial, whichis also published this week.³ The trial showed a modest butstatistically significant reduction in back pain and increasein health related quality of life compared with usual care.

The addition of acupuncture to usual care for low back painraised health service costs by £140 ( ${euro}$ 207; $265) per patient,but this increase was small relative to the health gain. At£4000 per quality adjusted life year (QALY) gained, thisis well below the lower NHS funding threshold used . . . [Full text of this article]

David Wonderling, senior health economist

National Collaborating Centre for Acute Care, Royal College of Surgeons of England, London WC2A 3PE
(dwonderling@rcseng.ac.uk)

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