title: Physicians' influence on veterans' decision to use acupuncture.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare patients' acupuncture use with physician's attitudes toward and history of referral for acupuncture.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire was administered to patients of the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the physicians whom they identified as most influencing their healthcare decisions. A total of 114 patients were matched with 33 physicians.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Physicians' history of referral was not significantly related to patients' acupuncture use. Physicians' belief that acupuncture would increase patient satisfaction, however, was associated with higher rates of patient acupuncture use (p=0.01). Qualitative analysis of an open-ended question that probed further into physicians' attitudes regarding acupuncture revealed three key themes: lack of knowledge about the treatment; misperceptions regarding availability of acupuncture at VA; and lack of VA providers to meet demand.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that physicians' referral patterns are not associated with patients' acupuncture use. However, some evidence shows a link between patients' acupuncture use and physicians' beliefs that the treatment will increase patient satisfaction, showing that physician attitudes may have some influence on patients' acupuncture use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In order to cultivate shared-decision making between patients and their physicians it will be important to address gaps in provider knowledge about acupuncture and its availability.
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Department of Veterans Affairs, Decatur, USA. Electronic address: Sean.Halpin@va.gov.
authors.forename: Sean N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Halpin
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Department of Veterans Affairs, Decatur, USA; Rehabilitation Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, USA.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Department of Veterans Affairs, Decatur, USA; Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, Emory University, Atlanta, USA.
authors.forename: Molly M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Perkins
mesh_terms: D026881:Acupuncture; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003142:Communication; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010358:Patient Participation; D010819:Physician's Role; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Acupuncture; Provider–patient communication