title: The use of acupuncture and attitudes to regulation among doctors in the UK--a survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the usage of acupuncture by members of British Medical Acupuncture Society (BMAS) in their daily work, in the course of a survey of attitudes to regulation of the acupuncture profession.
  
  
  METHODS
  A brief questionnaire survey of all members was conducted in December 2002.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After a single mailing, 1112 members responded (a response rate of 48%). Seventy-five percent of these were general practitioners. The majority were in support of a regulatory process. Ninety percent of respondents indicated that they use acupuncture in their practice, giving an average of about eight treatments per week. Sixty-one percent of these treatments are given within the National Health Service (NHS) at no cost to the patient.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is estimated that BMAS members provide a total of about one million acupuncture treatments each year, of which well over half a million are given within the NHS.
authors.affiliation: British Medical Acupuncture Society.
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Price
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: White
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005194:Family Practice / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013222:State Medicine / Q000592:standards; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom