  Acupuncture is a form of medicine that involves inserting needles into
targeted areas of the body and requires knowledge of both Traditional Chinese
Medicine (TCM) and Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM). The process of acquiring such
knowledge and using it for practical treatment is challenging due to the need
for a deep understanding of human anatomy and the ability to apply both TCM and
EBM approaches. Visual aids have been introduced to aid in understanding the
alignment of acupuncture points with key elements of the human body, and are
indispensable tools for both learners and expert acupuncturists. However, they
are often not enough to enable effective practice and fail to fully support the
learning process. Novel approaches based on immersive visualization and Virtual
Reality (VR) have shown promise in many healthcare settings due to their unique
advantages in terms of realism and interactions, but it is still unknown
whether and how VR can possibly be beneficial to acupuncture training and
treatment. Following participatory design protocols such as observations and
semi-structured interviews with eight doctors and nine students, we explore the
needs and pain points of current acupuncture workflows at the intersection of
EBM and TCM in China and the United States. We highlight opportunities for
introducing VR in today's acupuncture training and treatment workflows, and
discuss two design approaches that build on 11 specific challenges spanning
education, diagnosis, treatment, and communication.
