WHO benchmarks for the training of acupuncture

Overview

In 1999, WHO published the Guidelines on basic training and safety in acupuncture. However, various backgrounds of acupuncture service providers were addressed inadequately in this document, and there is a lack of a defined career pathway for acupuncture providers. This updated benchmark document aims to reduce the gaps by setting up required leaning modules for each category of acupuncture service providers at different levels, so that individual practices and practitioners can be compared, evaluated and accredited.

This document offers a useful reference point to evaluate acupuncture service providers, which will benefit policymakers, health workers, education providers and the public in general. It forms an integral part of the updated benchmark series, targeting key modalities of traditional medicine intervention and contributing to the establishment of a reference toolkit for countries.