| Action | Practice of dry needling |
| Stage | Proposed |
| Comment Period | Ended on 7/26/2019 |
 |
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines trigger point needling (Dry Needling) as a subset of Acupuncture points. In 1981, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific organized a Working Group for the Standardization of Acupuncture Nomenclature. After 10 years of effort, a consensus on the proposed standard international Acupuncture nomenclature was reached by the Regional Office for the Western Pacific’s Working Group and then by the WHO Scientific Group in Geneva. In 1991, A Proposed Standard International Acupuncture Nomenclaturewas published by WHO in Geneva and a revised edition of Standard Acupuncture Nomenclature (Part 1 and 2) was published by the Regional Office for the Western Pacific in Manila. Below is an excerpt from A Proposed Standard International Acupuncture Nomenclature as pertains to trigger points. Again, please note the hierarchy of coding numbers used. All terms beginning with a code of 5.1 have been determined by the World Health Organization to be a subset of Acupuncture.
The organizations define Acupuncture points and Dry Needling points as the same set of points. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), a division of the National Institutes of Health, in a Technology Assessment published by The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service agrees: “Acupuncture refers to the insertion of dry needles at specially chosen sites for the treatment or prevention of symptoms and conditions.”1,2
Reference:
1.
When To Select Observational Studies as Evidence for Comparative Effectiveness Reviews Prepared for: The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
Training Modules for Systematic Reviews Methods Guide www.ahrq.govEffective Health Care Program. "The AHRQ Training Modules for the Systematic Reviews Methods Guide:..." The AHRQ Training Modules for the Systematic Reviews Methods Guide: An Introduction. Ahrq.gov. Web. 06 Feb. 2012. <http://www.slideshare.net/AHRQEHCProgram/the-ahrq-training-modules-for-the-systematic-reviews- methods-guide-an-introduction>.
2.
Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Health Technology Assessment Unit.Acupuncture: Evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses 2002 Mar.Used in glossary of "Acupuncture for Osteoarthritis." Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.Web. 14 Jan. 2012. <http://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage database/details/technology-assessments-details.aspx?TAId=19>.