Safety culture in acupuncture practice in a tertiary hospital: The singapore general hospital experience

Abstract

Background: Appropriate safety measures need to be implemented during acupuncture treatment to ensure protection of both patients and practitioners. Objective: The aim of this article is share information about the safety culture of the Acupuncture Services in the Pain Management Centre of Singapore General Hospital (SGH). Methods: Acupuncture-related adverse events are prevented by adopting stringent standards of safety culture and practice with rigorous auditing in the following aspects: patient and staff education; an infection-control protocol; standardization of treatment services delivered by accredited Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) physicians; obtaining consent for procedures; proper procedure documentation and record-keeping; and discharge advice and follow-up plans. Results: Over the past 14 years, the SGH Acupuncture Services maintains zero incident and adverse-event rates for a total of 68,504 acupuncture treatment sessions. The total number of patients increased from 1822 (1998-2002) to 2195 (2008-2011), and daily patient numbers increased from 10 (1998-2002) to >25 (2008-2011) patients. Besides clinical work, four articles were published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and four research projects are still ongoing. Conclusions: Through robust safety practice and culture with continuing education and staff professional development, the SGH Acupuncture Services ensures minimal adverse events and infection rates while delivering competent clinical services. The authors wish to share their experience with other TCM practitioners, in the hope that some aspects of this report can be incorporated into their every day practices - safe, standardized, and evidence-based TCM. © Copyright 2013 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.