P05.63. Perspectives of breast cancer survivors about participating in an acupuncture clinical trial for hot flashes: a qualitative study

Results Five major themes emerged: (1) symptom appraisal (e.g. determining if/when symptoms become bothersome enough to necessitate intervention), (2) practical barriers (e.g. distance, travel), (3) beliefs about the interventions (e.g. fear of needles, dislike of medications), (4) comfort with clinical trials (e.g. randomization, blinding, placebo), (5) trust and altruism. Breast cancer survivors weighed benefits and costs associated with the decision to participate in a clinical trial involving acupuncture. Symptom appraisal was weighed against practical barriers to determine whether the potential benefits outweighed the costs (in time and effort) involved. Women also reflected on the nature of the interventions. Some favored acupuncture due to concerns about taking additional medications; others favored medication due to their fear of needles and/or skepticism about acupuncture’s effectiveness. Finally, women were more likely to express willingness to participate in a clinical trial if they had some understanding of the purpose of trial design (e.g. randomization, placebo, blinding); suspicions about placebo, blinding and randomization were barriers to participation. However, the presence of trust and altruism mitigated these concerns.