Acupuncture for Migraines: Educating Primary Care Providers

Abstract

Purpose. This quality improvement (QI) project aimed to increase provider knowledge about the use of acupuncture in treating and preventing migraines to assist clinicians in feeling more comfortable discussing and recommending this treatment.Background. Migraines are a disabling condition affecting more than 37 million adults and children in the United States (US). Pharmaceuticals are currently the most common treatment provided to these patients. However, these medications come with adverse side effects, are contraindicated for specific populations, and may only partially relieve symptoms for others. Studies show that acupuncture therapy can effectively treat and reduce the frequency of migraines with fewer side effects than pharmaceuticals. Still, primary care providers (PCPs) do not regularly recommend this treatment because they lack knowledge about acupuncture therapy. Methods. This QI project was implemented on five PCPs at the Farmington Tanner Clinic in Utah. Participants completed a printed pretest survey to determine baseline knowledge about acupuncture and its use for migraine treatment and prevention. A seven-minute synchronous in-person education session about acupuncture, its use for migraines, pricing, and accessibility was then conducted, and participants were provided with two handouts that included key information from the presentation. Upon completing the education session, participants completed a printed posttest survey to assess knowledge gain and comfort level in recommending acupuncture therapy to their migraine patients. Results. The education session increased the knowledge of all participants (N=5) on migraines and acupuncture. Posttest survey scores significantly increased on average by 37% (P=0.0002). Providers’ comfort level in recommending acupuncture to their migraine patients also increased. The difference between this measurement’s pretest and posttest survey scores was statistically significant, with an average increase of 0.8 points per participant (P=0.0497). Conclusions. The education session conducted for this project positively influenced PCPs’ knowledge about acupuncture and its use for migraine treatment and prevention. This knowledge improved participants’ comfort level in recommending this therapy, supporting the need for additional education about complementary and integrative health (CIH) therapies for PCPs.