Table 6.
The ability to identify if verum or sham acupuncture was given in subgroups of patients with different characteristics.
| Subgroup | Stated: Penetrating the skin1 | Stated: Placed against the skin1 | Not sure at all, guessed | Bang's blinding index2 (95% Confidence interval) | P value multivariate analysis3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blinding, by gender | n = 190 | .760 | ||||
|
| ||||||
| Verum acupuncture n (%) | ||||||
| Man | n = 18 | 16 (89) | 1 (6) | 1 (6) | 0.88 (0.66–1.11) | |
| woman | n = 77 | 58 (75) | 5 (6) | 14 (18) | 0.69 (0.56–0.82) | |
| Sham acupuncture n (%) | ||||||
| man | n = 14 | 11 (79) | 1 (7) | 2 (14) | −0.71 (1.02–−0.41)* | |
| woman | n = 81 | 57 (70) | 10 (13) | 14 (17) | −0.58 (−0.73–−0.43) | |
|
| ||||||
| Blinding, by age | n = 190 | .357 | ||||
|
| ||||||
| Verum acupuncture n (%) | ||||||
| 19–40 years old | n = 9 | 8 (89) | 0 (0) | 1 (11) | 0.89 (0.68–1.09) | |
| 41–65 years old | n = 40 | 33 (83) | 2 (5) | 5 (13) | 0.78 (0.61–0.94) | |
| 66–91 years old | n = 46 | 33 (72) | 4 (8) | 9 (18) | 0.63 (0.44–0.81) | |
| Sham acupuncture n (%) | ||||||
| 19–40 years old | n = 11 | 6 (55) | 2 (18) | 3 (27) | −0.36 (−0.82–0.09) | |
| 41–65 years old | n = 38 | 28 (74) | 4 (11) | 6 (16) | −0.63 (−0.84–−0.42) | |
| 66–91 years old | n = 46 | 34 (74) | 5 (11) | 7 (15) | −0.63 (−0.82–−0.44) | |
1The individuals were fairly or entirely sure of their answer. 2Correct answers/total n—incorrect answers/total n. The number (n) of patients answering the questions is presented. Total n = 190 of the entering 215 patients (18 interrupted radiotherapy and/or verum/sham acupuncture and 7 did not provide blinding data. 3Including the variables seen in Tables 4–6 and received needling type. *Statistically significant difference between the subgroups.