Double-blind (practitioner-patient masking) trial of acupuncture needles: does patient reaction reveal needle authenticity?

Completed

• Conditions: Healthy subjects; Not Applicable

• Registration Number: ISRCTN81864187
• Lead Sponsor: Hanada College (Japan)

Brief Summary

Not available

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2008-07-03
• Last Update Posted: 13 January 2015

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 30

Inclusion Criteria

1. Both males and females
2. Healthy volunteers
3. Age range: 18 - 55 years

Exclusion Criteria

Unhealthy volunteers

Study & Design

• Study Type: Interventional
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
The practitoner recorded the following after each needle application:<br>1. Clues that led to acupuncturist's identification of authenticity of the needle, these included facial expression, body movement, verbal expression, bleeding, and no bleeding, in addition to the feeling of needle insertion and feeling of needle removal. <br>2. Acupuncturist's confidence in identification of needle authenticity (i.e., the degree of certainty about his judgment) on a numerical rating scale (0 for no confidence and 100 for complete confidence)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Subjects' identification of the authenticity of the needles.