Musculoskeletal Pain
Conditions
Keywords
Acupuncture, Pain, Emergency Department
Brief summary
The purpose of this project is to determine the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of acupuncture in the Emergency Department (ED) for treating acute musculoskeletal pain. The overall goal is to reduce acute and subacute opioid use by improving acute pain, anxiety and disability with non-pharmacologic treatment options at a critical entry point for patients into the healthcare system. This full-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) has been statistically powered to test the effectiveness of ED-based acupuncture for both one-hour (Stage 1) and one-month (Stage 2) pain reduction outcomes. The feasibility will be assessed based on patient recruitment and retention rates, while the acceptability will be assessed using patient reported outcomes and qualitative semi-structured interviews. Stage 1 is a 2-phase study design. Phase (1): Enrolled subjects will be randomized to auricular (ear) acupuncture, peripheral acupuncture, or the control group receiving no acupuncture. Subjects assigned to an acupuncture arm will receive information and access to acupuncture in an outpatient clinic for the 4 weeks following ED visit. Subjects may also have a blood draw for biomarker analysis during their ED visit. A planned interim analysis of the first 60 patients (2/3 of the Phase 1 arm completed) will be completed to select the more effective and/or acceptable arm for Phase 2. At interim analysis, it was determined by the DSMB that neither arm was superior, so the recommendation was to continue Stage 1 Phase 2 unchanged with 3 arms. Stage 1 is complete, and we will proceed with Stage 2 powered to the 4-week pain score outcome. Stage 2 will proceed with the same procedures as stage 1, only powered to a different outcome.
Interventions
PROCEDUREAuricular (Battlefield) Acupuncture
Placement of needles based on battlefield acupuncture protocol which includes up to 5 sites on each ear to treat pain.
PROCEDUREPeripheral Acupuncture
Placement of needles in up to 30 specific sites in the head, neck, arms from the shoulders to the hands, and legs from the knees to the feet
Sponsors
Duke University
The Duke Endowment
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE (Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Adults age 18 or older * Clinical diagnosis of acute (≤7 days) musculoskeletal pain as determined by an ED provider * Able to read and understand the consent form in English
Exclusion criteria
* Unable to receive acupuncture due to injury or infection of acupuncture sites * Unwilling or unable to attend the follow-up outpatient acupuncture clinic * Severe hearing or speech impairment * Cognitive impairment, including evidence of drug, medication or alcohol intoxication, that would prevent comprehension of consent procedures or study measures and procedures * Critical illness * Deformity * Medical condition that would contraindicate safe participation as determine by an ED provider
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Pain Score | ED pre-acupuncture (baseline); ED post-acupuncture (up to 1 hour); 2 and 4 weeks post discharge | 11-point Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) for current pain |
| Number of ED patients eligible for recruitment as measured by patient log | Post implementation, up to 6 weeks | — |
| Number of patients enrolled as measured by patient log | Post implementation, up to 6 weeks | — |
| Number of patients retained in study as measured by patient log | Post implementation, up to 6 weeks | — |
| Number of patients that found acupuncture satisfactory via satisfactory questionnaire | Post implementation, up to 6 weeks | Likert-scale, agree disagree |
| Number of outpatient acupuncture sessions attended | 4 weeks post discharge | — |
| Number of adverse events | Post implementation, up to 2 weeks | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in function | ED pre-acupuncture (baseline); ED post-acupuncture (up to 1 hour); 2 and 4 weeks post discharge | PROMIS-29 |
| Change in cognitive function | ED pre-acupuncture (baseline); ED post-acupuncture (up to 1 hour); 2 and 4 weeks post discharge | Neuro-QoL |
| Number of return ED visits | Up to one year post ED visit | — |
| Pain medications received | Up to three months post ED visit | — |
| Time in minutes for ED based acupuncture session | Post ED acupuncture session, up to 1 hour | — |
Countries
United States
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORMitchell Knisely, PhD
Duke University
Outcome results
None listed