Background: Acupuncture is considered a complementary and alternative medicine in many countries. The\npurpose of this study was to report the pattern of acupuncture use and associated factors in patients with stroke.\nMethods: We used claims data from Taiwanââ?¬â?¢s National Health Insurance Research Database and identified 285001\nnew-onset stroke patients in 2000ââ?¬â??2008 from 23 million people allover Taiwan. The use of acupuncture treatment\nafter stroke within one year was identified. We compared sociodemographics, coexisting medical conditions, and\nstroke characteristics between stroke patients who did and did not receive acupuncture treatment.\nResults: The use of acupuncture in stroke patients increased from 2000 to 2008. Female gender, younger age,\nwhite-collar employee status, higher income, and residence in areas with more traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)\nphysicians were factors associated with acupuncture use in stroke patients. Ischemic stroke (odds ratio [OR] 1.21,\n95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.15ââ?¬â??1.28), having no renal dialysis (OR 2.76, 95 % CI 2.45ââ?¬â??3.13), receiving rehabilitation\n(OR 3.20, 95 % CI 3.13ââ?¬â??3.27) and longer hospitalization (OR 1.23, 95 % CI 1.19ââ?¬â??1.27) were also associated with\nacupuncture use. Stroke patients using rehabilitation services were more likely to have more acupuncture visits and\na higher expenditure on acupuncture compared with stroke patients who did not receive rehabilitation services.\nConclusions: The application of acupuncture in stroke patients is well accepted and increasing in Taiwan. The use\nof acupuncture in stroke patients is associated with sociodemographic factors and clinical characteristics.
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