Cosmetic acupuncture / 全日本鍼灸学会雑誌

Recently, cosmetic acupuncture has converged on the acupuncture industry currently, cosmetic acupuncture is in strong demand in clinical scenes every day, and it is a part of classes at training institutions or universities of acupuncture.<BR>Only ten years ago, it was taboo to use acupuncture cosmetically except for special occasions, and acupuncturists and moxa-cauterizers did not have much interest in it. However, against the background of its being required for the "beauty"field, it is seen off and for the wish for youth and beauty of us hoping for a higher quality of life. In June 2010, the 59th annual meeting of Japan Society of Acupuncture and Moxibustion held the International Conference Centre in Osaka Nakanoshima. This acupuncture congress came up with a great topic, and the extension of practical skills for cosmetic acupuncture took place for the first time. We got a high response at the congress. The hall capacity was 350 people and was full. People were even standing in the back because there were no seats left. Therefore, we would like to request you, professors teaching people exhibiting some practical skills at the congress, to write about your thoughts for cosmetic acupuncture and the practice of it, which we hope will be future prospects for cosmetic acupuncture.

A Survey of the Cost of Acupuncture Treatment and Patients' Opinions on its Cost in Japan / 全日本鍼灸学会雑誌

[Objective] To estimate the average cost per acupuncture treatment and to assess patients' opinions about the cost of the treatment in Japan.<BR>[Methods] We summarized data concerning the cost of acupuncture treatment and patients' opinions about its cost in a survey that was conducted in July 2000 among patients who visited acupuncture clinics where thepractitioners were the members of alumni association of Meiji University of Oriental Medicine.<BR>[Results] Of 2, 210 questionnaires distributed to the subjects, 1, 319 (59.7%) responded and 1, 264 (57.2%) were relevant to the analysis. 425 (33.6%), 331 (26.2%) and 203 (16.1%) paid 3, 001-4, 000 yen, 2, 001-3, 000 yen and 1, 001-2, 000 yen per treatment, respectively. The average (95%CI) fee paid by patients who wanted the treatment to be 'cheaper' (group 1), and 'slightly cheaper' (group 2) was 3, 310 yen (3081-3538) and 3, 508 yen (3328-3689), respectively. Among those who thought the fee was 'reasonable' (group 3), it was 3, 060 yen (2, 947-3, 172). For those who were able to pay more (group 4), it was 2, 927 yen (2655-3188). The average (95%CI) fee which were considered as 'reasonable' by each group, classified according to opinion, were 2, 080 (1, 906-2, 254), 2, 411 (2, 292-2, 529), 3, 046 (2, 930-3, 161) and 3, 923 (3, 582-4, 263) for groups 1, 2, 3 and 4, re-spectively. The 'reasonable' and 'maximum' costs suggested by the patients were significantly correlated with the current fees paid. Patients' satisfaction with the treatment, which was evaluated with VAS, was related to the opinion of the patients on the cost per treatment.<BR>[Conclusion] Most of the respondents paid 3, 001-4000 yen for an acupuncture session, although the reasonable cost suggested by the patients varied according to the current cost and the patients' satisfaction with the treatment.

A Cross-sectional Sarvey of Patient Safisfacfion after Acupuncture Treatment in Japan / 全日本鍼灸学会雑誌

Recently, the importance of patient satisfaction emerged in the context of providing high-quality health care. However, the level of patient satisfaction with acupuncture treatment and the factors that influence satisfaction have not been investigated. We conducted a cross-sectional survey on the satisfaction of patients who consult acupuncture clinics and investigated factors that have a certain influence on the level of satisfaction using multivariate analysis.<BR>Subjects in the present study consisted of 2210 patients who consulted acupuncture clinics that were randomly selected from the alumni association of Meiji University of Oriental Medicine. The survey was conducted between July 10 through July 23, 2000 using our original questionnaire which consists of questions about health state and basic information about the patient, environment of the clinic, assessment of the practitioner by the patient and overall patient satisfaction with the clinic. Sampling of the subject was made using stratified random sampling method and the questionnaires were returned directly from the patient by mail.<BR>Of 2210 patients given the questionnaire, 1, 319 (59.7%) responded. Mean (SD) level of the total satisfaction with the clinic evaluated using 100 mm visual analogue scale (VAS) was 81.4 (13.8). Simple linear regression analysis showed that the degree of explanation given by the practitioner was significantly related to patient satisfaction, while multiple regression analysis showed that the effect of treatment, treatment skill of the practitioner, patient's reliance on the practitioner, clean environment of the consultation room, depth of the practitioner's understanding of the patient and willingness of the practitioner to answer questions were factors significantly related with the patient's satisfaction.<BR>In the present study, there was high overall satisfaction among patients consulting acupuncture clinics and the factors influencing satisfaction could be classified into three kinds : factors relating to the quality of treatment, communication factors between the patient and practitioner, and environmental factors related to the clinic.