Introduction

Patients with major traumatic injuries experience chronic pain, diminished daily and social functions, and impaired quality of life. Acupuncture is regularly used for managing chronic pain and long-term disabilities in South Korea. However, little information is available on its use by patients after major traumatic injuries. This study aims to explore how patients’ willingness to receive acupuncture is formulated after major traumatic injuries.

Methods

Between August 2021 and August 2022, ten patients who received acupuncture after major traumatic injuries (multiple rib fractures or spinal cord injuries) in South Korea were purposively sampled for one-to-one semi-structured on-site or remote interviews by a trained interviewer. Verbatim transcriptions of the interviews were analysed, comprising open, axial, and selective coding, according to grounded theory.

Results

Sixteen codes, six subthemes, and two themes were generated through open coding. The two themes were “personal” and “environmental”. Regarding the personal factor, “desperation to recover” was the patients’ primary motivation for considering acupuncture treatment for their condition. “Treatment experiences”, “being informed of acupuncture” and “Western medicine physicians’ attitudes” also influenced patients’ decisions to receive acupuncture. Environmental factors, including the accessibility of medical centres and availability of medical resources, were associated with the willingness to receive acupuncture, depending on the individual context. In selective coding, patients’ behaviour toward acupuncture treatments was categorised into three types: “quick decision”, “weighing” and “sweet-after-bitter taste”.

Conclusions

Personal and environmental factors contributed to the willingness to receive acupuncture after major traumatic injuries in South Korea. Further studies in different settings or with patients with other types of injuries are warranted to validate our findings.

中文翻译：

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重大创伤患者接受针灸治疗意愿的相关因素：一项定性研究

介绍

患有严重创伤的患者会经历慢性疼痛、日常和社交功能下降以及生活质量受损。在韩国，针灸经常用于治疗慢性疼痛和长期残疾。然而，关于严重创伤后患者使用它的信息很少。本研究旨在探讨重大创伤后患者接受针灸治疗的意愿是如何形成的。

方法

2021年8月至2022年8月期间，有目的地抽取10名在韩国遭受重大创伤（多发性肋骨骨折或脊髓损伤）后接受针灸治疗的患者，由训练有素的访谈员进行一对一的半结构化现场或远程访谈。根据扎根理论，对访谈的逐字记录进行了分析，包括开放式编码、轴向编码和选择性编码。

结果

通过开放编码生成了十六个代码、六个子主题和两个主题。这两个主题是“个人”和“环境”。就个人因素而言，“渴望康复”是患者考虑针灸治疗的首要动机。“治疗经历”、“了解针灸知识”和“西医态度”也影响患者接受针灸的决定。环境因素，包括医疗中心的可达性和医疗资源的可用性，与接受针灸的意愿相关，具体取决于个人情况。在选择性编码中，患者对针灸治疗的行为被分为三种类型：“快速决定”、“权衡”和“先苦后甜”。

结论

个人和环境因素导致韩国在遭受重大创伤后愿意接受针灸治疗。有必要在不同环境下或对患有其他类型损伤的患者进行进一步研究来验证我们的研究结果。