Retrospective Interview Findings from Low-Income Patients with Chronic Pain Who Received Acupuncture and Massage Therapy at a Federally Qualified Health Clinic in Washington DC

Abstract

Objective: To examine the experience of low-income medically underserved patients receiving acupuncture and/or massage for chronic pain at a Federally Qualified Health Center in Washington, DC. Methods: Thirty-one patients with chronic pain who had at least four treatment sessions were identified by their primary care physicians. Utilizing funds from a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant, three massage therapists and two acupuncturists were recruited by Non-Profit Access to Integrative Medicine to offer free integrative medicine services. English- or Spanish-speaking patients who received at least four treatments were recruited for one-on-one interviews as well as a focus group. Ultimately, 14 patients took part and their average age was 58 years. IRB approval was obtained from George Washington University. Participants were asked questions concerning their chronic pain and quality of life (QOL), their understanding of integrative medicine treatments, and their use and perceptions of medication to treat chronic pain. Results: Coding of the transcripts revealed positive QOL improvements from the acupuncture and massage treatments. All participants reported at least some improvement in their pain from the treatments and all indicated they would be interested in further acupuncture and/or massage treatments in the future. Their decisions for treatment focused primarily on a willingness to try more natural treatments that did not cause adverse side effects, and in some cases, desperation to find a treatment that helped manage pain after trying other interventions including medication and physical therapy. Additional positive effects included a deep sense of calm and relaxation participants felt during treatment, improvement in pain symptoms, as well as benefits experienced for conditions other than pain. Conclusions: Acupuncture and massage were overwhelmingly viewed as treatments that could improve pain symptoms and QOL. This study demonstrates the important role integrative approaches to pain can play and highlights the need to reduce access barriers for marginalized communities with chronic pain.

Keywords

• medically underserved populations
• integrative medicine
• community health center
• patient satisfaction
• mental health