A qualitative exploration of how patients conceptualise their acupuncturists: Technicians, caring professionals, and wise healers

•We identified three ways in which patients conceptualised acupuncturists.•The “technician” manipulates needles to treat patients' symptoms.•The “caring professional” manipulates needles and creates a healing relationship.•The “wise healer” possesses extraordinary, special, wisdom and healing abilities.

ObjectivesTo explore how patients conceptualise acupuncturists, the meanings ascribed to the therapeutic relationship and valued therapeutic behaviours.DesignQualitative study. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews explored patients' experiences of acupuncture. A diverse sample of 35 participants took part; they had used acupuncture for a variety of predominantly chronic conditions. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify themes.SettingSouthern England.ResultsParticipants conceptualised acupuncturists in three ways: technician, caring professional, and wise and gifted healer. Each conceptualisation had different implications for patient health. For example, lifestyle advice from a wise healer was seen as inspirational wisdom, while lifestyle advice from a caring professional was seen as evidence of caring. Participants inferred empathy when acupuncturists took a detailed history, took notes during treatment, and provided therapeutic commentaries. Participants inferred knowledge and/or wisdom when acupuncturists made changes to treatments over time, provided explanatory frameworks for their symptoms, and made effective recommendations concerning lifestyle and health behaviours.ConclusionsThe findings provide novel insights into how patients view acupuncturists, suggesting acupuncture-specific models that do not directly map onto conventional models of doctor-patient relationships. Understanding how patients think about their acupuncturist and make sense of clinical interactions could help acupuncturists to hone their therapeutic skills.