Acupuncture in cancer care: recommendations for safe practice (peer-reviewed expert opinion).

BACKGROUND: Up-to-date recommendations for the safe practice of acupuncture in integrative oncology are overdue with new cancer treatments and an increase in survivors with late effects of disease; 17 years have elapsed since Filshie and Hester's 2006 guidelines. During 2022/2023 an expert panel assembled to produce updated recommendations aiming to facilitate safe and appropriate care by acupuncturists working with people with cancer. METHODS: A core development team comprising three integrative oncology professionals comprehensively updated pre-existing unpublished recommendations. Twelve invited international experts (senior acupuncturists with and without experience of working in oncology settings, oncologists, physicians and nurses trained in integrative oncology, researchers, academics, and professional body representatives) reviewed the recommendations. In multiple iterations, the core team harmonised comments for final ratification. To aid dissemination and uptake the panel represents national and international integrative oncology associations and major cancer treatment centres in Europe, USA, Australia, and the Middle East. RESULTS: These recommendations facilitate safe care by articulating contra-indications, cautions, and risks for patients both on and off treatment (surgery, SACT, radiotherapy). Situations where acupuncture may be contra-indicated or practices need adapting are identified. "Red and Amber Flags" highlight where urgent referral is essential. CONCLUSION: These are the first international, multidisciplinary peer-reviewed recommendations for safe acupuncture practice in integrative oncology. Concerns about safety remain a significant barrier to appropriate referral from oncology teams, to use by acupuncturists and to uptake by patients. Disseminating trustworthy, widely accessible guidance should facilitate informed, confident practice of acupuncture in and outside of oncology healthcare settings.

An exploration of clinical teaching using a reflective method with adult students.

This paper explores aspects of clinical teaching in an acupuncture clinic in a university. The intentions of the study were to unearth the personal knowledge that underpins my teaching practice by revealing and illuminating the dissonance between espoused theories of adult education and theories-in-use. In a teaching clinic the complex interactions between the patient, the student and the teacher demand a flexible mix of being simultaneously patient-centered and student-centered, as well as teacher-centered.