The goal of this observational study is to evaluate the real-world effectiveness of an acupuncture-first stepped care pathway for pain management in adults aged 18 years and older receiving routine outpatient clinical care for non-cancer-related pain conditions. The primary purpose is to describe episode-based clinical outcomes and care utilization patterns as they occur in standard practice. The main questions it aims to answer are: * What proportion of completed pain episodes achieve a clinically meaningful improvement, defined as a ≥50% reduction in pain intensity (Numeric Rating Scale or Visual Analog Scale) within an episode treatment window of up to 8 acupuncture visits? * What are the visit utilization patterns, time to clinically meaningful improvement, and care escalation patterns within an acupuncture-first stepped care pathway in routine outpatient practice? There is no comparison group. This study does not introduce or test a new intervention. All care is delivered as part of standard clinical practice. Participants will: * Receive acupuncture treatment as part of routine outpatient care * Undergo routine pain assessments (NRS/VAS) at each clinical visit * Participate in standard clinical follow-up as determined by usual care practices No additional research-specific visits, procedures, questionnaires, or interventions are introduced. Data analyzed in this study are derived from routine clinical documentation systems and are de-identified prior to analysis.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
300
This study does not assign or manipulate any intervention. Participants receive routine outpatient acupuncture care delivered within an existing acupuncture-first stepped care pathway. The pathway represents standard clinical practice and includes individualized acupuncture treatment decisions made by the treating practitioner. Treatment frequency, duration (up to 8 visits per episode), and potential care escalation are determined solely by routine clinical judgment and patient response. The study does not introduce additional procedures, randomization, comparison groups, or protocol-driven treatment modifications. Data are analyzed observationally from routine clinical documentation.
Proportion of Pain Episodes Achieving Clinically Meaningful Improvement
Clinically meaningful improvement is defined as a ≥50% reduction in pain intensity from baseline, measured using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) or Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The outcome is assessed at the final observed visit within the episode treatment window (up to 8 acupuncture visits) or at episode closure, whichever occurs first.
Time frame: From baseline (initial visit) through episode closure, up to 12 weeks (maximum of 8 visits)
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