TY - JOUR
T1 - Acupuncture in drug and alcohol withdrawal at the Community Residential Withdrawal Unit, Footscray Hospital, Melbourne
AU - Ryan, Damien
AU - McDonough, Michael
AU - Berryman, Cally
AU - Kotevski, Dimce
AU - Jenkin, Kayte
PY - 2008
Y1 - 2008
N2 - Background: Acupuncture has been offered as an adjunct therapy in drug and alcohol withdrawal at the Community Residential Withdrawal Unit (CRWU), Western Hospital, Footscray, since 1996. Anecdotal reports from staff and clients indicate that acupuncture is a useful treatment approach, and, to investigate more thoroughly, a collaborative study was undertaken in 2007. Aims: To identify and explore client and staff perceptions of the benefits/limitations of acupuncture in the CRWU program. Design: Semi-structured interviews were used to capture data that would provide understanding of client and staff experiences of acupuncture. The data were analysed qualitatively to identify major themes. Participant selection criteria: Consenting in-patient clients at CRWU aged 18 years or over who had acupuncture during the period of the study, plus all clinical staff at CRWU who consented to participate in the study. Data analysis: Client and staff interview data were analysed using thematic content analysis to identify major themes and insights that related to the aims of the study. A comparative analysis of client and staff views, based on the two sets of data, was also undertaken to explore convergences and divergences of views. Results: The study found that there was a strong consensus amongst clients and staff interviewed that acupuncture was a beneficial therapy that had a relaxing effect with various 'flow-on' benefits such as decrease in anxiety and reduction of pain. Conclusion: Drug and alcohol treatment guidelines support the view that matching treatment approaches to individuals is critical to the success of returning clients to the community. It is also acknowledged that a combination of treatment regimes is a best-practice approach. This study revealed that staff and clients at CRWU believe that acupuncture is a beneficial non-pharmacotherapeutic approach in the treatment of drug and alcohol dependency.
AB - Background: Acupuncture has been offered as an adjunct therapy in drug and alcohol withdrawal at the Community Residential Withdrawal Unit (CRWU), Western Hospital, Footscray, since 1996. Anecdotal reports from staff and clients indicate that acupuncture is a useful treatment approach, and, to investigate more thoroughly, a collaborative study was undertaken in 2007. Aims: To identify and explore client and staff perceptions of the benefits/limitations of acupuncture in the CRWU program. Design: Semi-structured interviews were used to capture data that would provide understanding of client and staff experiences of acupuncture. The data were analysed qualitatively to identify major themes. Participant selection criteria: Consenting in-patient clients at CRWU aged 18 years or over who had acupuncture during the period of the study, plus all clinical staff at CRWU who consented to participate in the study. Data analysis: Client and staff interview data were analysed using thematic content analysis to identify major themes and insights that related to the aims of the study. A comparative analysis of client and staff views, based on the two sets of data, was also undertaken to explore convergences and divergences of views. Results: The study found that there was a strong consensus amongst clients and staff interviewed that acupuncture was a beneficial therapy that had a relaxing effect with various 'flow-on' benefits such as decrease in anxiety and reduction of pain. Conclusion: Drug and alcohol treatment guidelines support the view that matching treatment approaches to individuals is critical to the success of returning clients to the community. It is also acknowledged that a combination of treatment regimes is a best-practice approach. This study revealed that staff and clients at CRWU believe that acupuncture is a beneficial non-pharmacotherapeutic approach in the treatment of drug and alcohol dependency.
KW - acupuncture
KW - drug withdrawal symptoms
KW - treatment
UR - http://handle.westernsydney.edu.au:8081/1959.7/uws:49281
UR - https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=424124673393169;res=IELHEA
M3 - Article
SN - 1833-9735
VL - 3
SP - 5
EP - 12
JO - Australian Journal of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine
JF - Australian Journal of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine
IS - 2
ER -