Providing acupuncture in a breast cancer and fatigue trial: The therapists' experience

Objective: To explore the experiences of therapists providing acupuncture in a trial context, to women with fatigue, following breast cancer treatment. Methods: The focus groups were nested within a multi-site randomised control trial. Therapists (n = 15) involved in the trial were invited to participate in one of the focus groups, which took place in the north and south of England. The treatment protocol imposed constraints on dialogue to essential procedural conversation and stipulated needling times of 20 min. Results: All 15 therapists (100%) participated. Whilst they reported learning more about fatigue and cancer, adhering to the trial protocol limited the holistic nature of their practice. Seeing improvements, despite the protocol, made some therapists question their practice, in terms of needling times and limiting dialogue. Conclusions: The study provided information about the therapists' perspective of working within a trial. This could have implications for providing acupuncture treatments more cost effectively and timely within clinical practice.