What can acupuncture bring to Western medicine? The perspective of health professionals also trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine-based acupuncture

IntroductionThe inclusion of acupuncture into conventional healthcare is being internationally considered in response to increasing chronic diseases. The aim of this study was to understand health professionals' perceptions of the collaboration between Traditional Chinese Medicine-based acupuncture and Western medicine in Spain.MethodsA total of 27 in-depth interviews were conducted with Spanish health professionals who were trained in and practiced acupuncture. Grounded Theory Dimensional Analysis guided this research in order to obtain a theoretical explanation of the perceptions of participants.ResultsFour main categories emerged from the analysis: styles of practice, benefits of the collaboration between acupuncture and conventional medicine, key factors for this cooperation and barriers to the practice of acupuncture into conventional healthcare settings.DiscussionA combination of both approaches may result in the amplification of health professionals' knowledge and the improvement of the healthcare. Acupuncture contributions to conventional medicine were valued because of its therapeutic properties and its proposals for personal development (lifestyle recommendations, Qi gong, meditation, breathing exercises, prayer, and creative activities). Barriers to acupuncture and Western medicine collaboration were related to the dominance of the biomedicine paradigm.ConclusionAcupuncture was revealed as a new avenue of cooperation between professionals and a way to transcend the traditional division between disciplines.