Guidelines on Basic Training and Safety in Acupuncture: Section I: Basic training in acupuncture: 5. Training of acupuncture practitioners: 5.6 Core syllabus in modern Western medicine

Guidelines on Basic Training and Safety in Acupuncture
(1999; 35 pages) [French] [Spanish]

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction
	Basic training in acupuncture
	Safety in acupuncture
Section I: Basic training in acupuncture
	1. Purpose of the guidelines
	2. Use of acupuncture in national health systems
		2.1 Administrative and academic considerations
		2.2 Examinations and licensing
		2.3 Supervision, monitoring and evaluation
		2.4 Further education and career possibilities
	3. Levels of training
	4. Training programmes
	5. Training of acupuncture practitioners
		5.1 Acupuncture practitioners
		5.2 Entrance requirements
		5.3 Duration of training
		5.4 Objective
		5.5 Core syllabus in acupuncture
		5.6 Core syllabus in modern Western medicine
		5.7 Other related fields of health care
		5.8 Examination
	6. Full training in acupuncture for qualified physicians
	7. Limited training in acupuncture for qualified physicians
		7.1 Basic training
		7.2 Special courses
		7.3 Advanced training
	8. Limited training in acupuncture for primary health care personnel
	9. Selected acupuncture points for basic training
	10. Selected points for basic training in acupuncture
Section II: Safety in acupuncture
	1. Prevention of infection
		1.1 Clean working environment
		1.2 Clean hands
		1.3 Preparation of the needling sites
		1.4 Sterilization and storage of needles and equipment
		1.5 Aseptic technique
	2. Contraindications
		2.1 Pregnancy
		2.2 Medical emergencies and surgical conditions
		2.3 Malignant tumours
		2.4 Bleeding disorders
	3. Accidents and untoward reactions
		3.1 Needle quality
		3.2 Position of patient
		3.3 Fainting
		3.4 Convulsions
		3.5 Pain
		3.6 Stuck needle
		3.7 Broken needle
		3.8 Local infection
		3.9 Burning during moxibustion
	4. Electrical stimulation and laser therapy
	5. Injury to important organs
		5.1 Areas not to be punctured
		5.2 Precautions to be taken
	6. Patient records
Appendix
	1. Sterilization of acupuncture needles and equipment
	2. Methods of sterilization
	3. Disinfection
	4. Maintenance
Annex I: List of participants

5.6 Core syllabus in modern Western medicine

1. Approach to training

By the end of the course the student should have:

• a sound understanding of the essentials of anatomy (including the anatomical location of acupuncture points), physiology, and the basic mechanisms of disease;

• an understanding of the principles of hygiene, the common forms of disease and ill-health in the community, and their causative factors;

• proficiency in making a simple but competent examination of a patient, and in arriving at a tentative diagnosis and a reasonable assessment of the gravity of symptoms and signs;

• the ability to decide whether a patient may safely and suitably be treated by acupuncture, or should be referred to a health professional or facility; and

• training in first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and the action to take in emergencies.

2. Scope and depth of training

These must be defined by the national health authorities, according to the duties and responsibilities the acupuncture practitioners will have in the national health system; including whether these will also involve the use of modern Western medicine (alone or in combination with acupuncture), and the degree of supervision under which the practitioner will work.