Perspectives of patients on medical acupuncture in a primary care setting in Lebanon: a cross-sectional study

Introduction: There is paucity of data on the knowledge of acupuncture and its use among patients in Lebanon and the Arab countries. Objectives: The primary objectives of this study were to determine the knowledge and attitude of patients in a primary care setting in Lebanon toward Western medical acupuncture and to determine factors that may affect their attitudes toward acupuncture use. The secondary objective was to compare the attitudes and knowledge of patients who had tried acupuncture with those who had not. Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study about the perspectives of patients in a primary care setting in Lebanon on medical acupuncture. Results: A total of 212 surveys were completed (78.5% response rate). 24% of participants had not tried and were unwilling to try acupuncture (group 1), 63.5% of participants had not tried but indicated they would be willing to try acupuncture (group 2), and 12.5% of participants had previously tried acupuncture (group 3). Most participants in group 1 (55.6%) stated they would be unwilling to try acupuncture even if referred for it by a physician. Participants who had tried acupuncture (12.5%) had done so for pain conditions. Discussion: Group 3 scored higher on knowledge questions and had a more positive attitude toward the acupuncture procedure. Most patients who had tried it had done so to treat pain complaints. Conclusion: Patients in groups 2 and 3 were more knowledgeable about acupuncture, had tried more complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities, and were more likely to try acupuncture as an add-on or last resort treatment, compared to group 1.