Research Article 2026-04-23 under-review v1

Development and Validation of a Clinical Prediction Model for Acupuncture Response in Community-Dwelling Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Retrospective Cohort Study

J
Jianfei Wang Ningbo Zhuangqiao Community Health Service Center, Jiangbei District
T
Tianci Hu Ningbo Zhuangqiao Community Health Service Center, Jiangbei District
M
Minjie Zhao Ningbo Zhuangqiao Community Health Service Center, Jiangbei District
C
Chunrong Wu Ningbo Zhuangqiao Community Health Service Center, Jiangbei District

Abstract

Objectives: To identify independent risk and protective factors for acupuncture response in community-dwelling patients with chronic low back pain, and to develop and validate a clinical prediction model incorporating traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) diagnostic components, thereby providing a tool for individualized clinical decision-making and risk stratification in community acupuncture practice. Methods: A total of 500 patients with chronic non-specific low back pain who received acupuncture treatment at the Ningbo Jiangbei Zhuangqiao Community Health Service Center between January 2023 and November 2025 were retrospectively enrolled. Patients were randomly split into a training cohort (n=350) for model development and a test cohort (n=150) for internal temporal validation using a 7:3 ratio. Predictors were selected via LASSO regression, and a multivariable logistic regression model was constructed and presented as a clinical nomogram. SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analysis was employed to quantify the global importance of features and their directional association with the outcome. Model performance was comprehensively evaluated by assessing discrimination (receiver operating characteristic curve), calibration (calibration curve), clinical utility (decision curve analysis), and generalizability (performance in the internal/external validation sets). Results: Multivariable analysis identified longer disease duration (OR=1.170), radiating leg pain (OR=1.998), and the Qi-Stagnation-Blood-Stasis syndrome pattern (OR=3.701) as independent risk factors for poor acupuncture response (all P<0.05), while acupoint Weizhong (BL40) selection (OR=0.267) and combined therapy (OR=0.214) were independent protective factors. SHAP analysis confirmed disease duration and the Qi-Stagnation-Blood-Stasis pattern as the top contributors to the prediction. The developed nomogram demonstrated excellent discrimination in the training (AUC=0.819), test (AUC=0.828), and external validation (AUC=0.788) cohorts. The model showed good calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow test P>0.05) and provided a clear clinical net benefit across a wide threshold probability range (25%-90%). Conclusions: This study pioneers the identification of a TCM syndrome pattern (Qi-Stagnation-Blood-Stasis) and acupoint selection as independent predictors for acupuncture response in community-based low back pain management. The developed nomogram, integrating TCM and clinical features, demonstrates robust predictive performance and clinical utility upon rigorous validation. It facilitates personalized treatment strategies, suggesting early intensified intervention (e.g., combined therapy) for high-risk patients characterized by longer disease duration, radiating pain, or specific TCM patterns to optimize outcomes.

Citation Information

@article{jianfeiwang2026,
  title={Development and Validation of a Clinical Prediction Model for Acupuncture Response in Community-Dwelling Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Retrospective Cohort Study},
  author={Jianfei Wang and Tianci Hu and Minjie Zhao and Chunrong Wu},
  journal={BMC Health Services Research},
  year={2026},
  doi={https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9046927/v1}
}
Back to Top
Home
Paper List
Submit
0.022693s