| Summary: | Background Neck and shoulder pain ranks the 21st in terms of global economic burden of diseases, but it could be effectively treated and relieved by timely standardized interventions. The application of goal attainment scaling (GAS) will help to assess the effectiveness of interventions in a more targeted manner. Objective To measure the effectiveness of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) health management delivered by Hangzhou community health centers for community-dwelling individuals with chronic neck and shoulder pain using GAS, and to identify the associated factors. Methods Typical sampling was adopted to choose 262 patients with chronic neck and shoulder pain from three community health centers of Hangzhou from August to September 2020. They were randomly divided into control group (n=131) and intervention group (n=131) , received one-month acupuncture treatment, and one-month acupuncture treatment plus TCM management, respectively. The intervention effect survey was carried out in November 2020 using a self-compiled questionnaire for understanding participants' demographics, level of pain assessed using the Changhai Pain Rating Scale, and effectiveness measured using GAS. Results All the participants were included for analysis (n=244, 122 in each group) except for nine missing cases in each group. The post-intervention GAS scores for intervention group and control group were (51.20±7.81) and (42.94±7.57) , showing statistically significant difference (P<0.05) . The intervention group and control group also had statistically significant difference in terms of the number reaching or exceeding the expected target after intervention〔92 (75.4%) vs 44 (36.1%) 〕 (P<0.05) . The post-intervention GAS score in cases in the intervention group differed significantly by education level, marital status, employment status, TCM constitution, and self-assessment health status (P<0.05) . In accordance with the results of stepwise multiple linear regression analysis, TCM constitution, self-rated health, and drinking were associated with the GAS score after acupuncture treatment plus TCM management (P<0.05) . Conclusion The comprehensive TCM health management have significant effect on patients with chronic neck and shoulder pain. In view of this, the management is suggested to be implemented in primary care.
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