• Jeffery A Dusek, Gene A Kallenberg, Robert M Hughes, Alan B Storrow, Christopher J Coyne, David R Vago, Arya Nielsen, Alison Karasz, Ryung S Kim, Jessica Surdam, Tracy Segall, and M Diane McKee.
• UH Connor Whole Health, University Hospitals, Cleveland, OH.
• Medicine (Baltimore). 2022 Mar 4; 101 (9): e28961e28961.

PurposePain accounts for up to 78% of emergency department (ED) patient visits and opioids remain a primary method of treatment despite risks of addiction and adverse effects. While prior acupuncture studies are promising as an alternative opioid-sparing approach to pain reduction, successful conduct of a multi-center pilot study is needed to prepare for a future definitive randomized control trial (RCT).MethodsAcupuncture in the Emergency Department for Pain Management (ACUITY) is funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. The objectives are to: conduct a multi-center feasibility RCT, examine feasibility of data collection, develop/deploy a manualized acupuncture intervention and assess feasibility/implementation (barrier/facilitators) in 3 EDs affiliated with the BraveNet Practice Based Research Network.Adults presenting to a recruiting ED with acute non-emergent pain (e.g., musculoskeletal, back, pelvic, noncardiac chest, abdominal, flank or head) of ≥4 on a 0-10-point Numeric Rating Scale will be eligible. ED participants (n = 165) will be equally randomized to Acupuncture or Usual Care.At pre-, post-, and discharge time-points, patients will self-assess pain and anxiety using the Numeric Rating Scale. Pain, anxiety, post-ED opioid use and adverse events will be assessed at 1 and 4 weeks. Opioid utilization in the ED and discharge prescriptions will be extracted from patients' electronic medical records.Acupuncture recipients will asked to participate in a brief qualitative interview about 3 weeks after their discharge. ED providers and staff will also be interviewed about their general perspectives/experiences related to acupuncture in the ED and implementation of acupuncture in ACUITY.ResultsRecruitment began on 5/3/21. As of 12/7/21: 84 patients have enrolled, the responsive acupuncture intervention has been developed and deployed, and 26 qualitative interviews have been conducted.ConclusionSuccessful conduct of ACUITY will provide the necessary framework for conducting a future, multi-center, definitive RCT of acupuncture in the ED.Clinical TrialsgovNCT04880733 https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04880733.Copyright © 2022 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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