Evaluating the Quality of Reports About Randomized Controlled Trials of Acupuncture for Low Back Pain

Xin Liu; Ziqiao Xu; Yuting Wang; Huiling Luo; Donglei Zou; Ziyuan Zhou; Lixing Zhuang

doi:10.2147/JPR.S308006

Evaluating the Quality of Reports About Randomized Controlled Trials of Acupuncture for Low Back Pain

J Pain Res. 2021 Apr 21:14:1141-1151. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S308006. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Xin Liu¹, Ziqiao Xu¹, Yuting Wang¹, Huiling Luo¹, Donglei Zou¹, Ziyuan Zhou², Lixing Zhuang³

Affiliations

¹ Clinical Medical College of Acupuncture Moxibustion and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510000, People's Republic of China.
² Faculty of Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, People's Republic of China.
³ Department of Rehabilitation, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510000, People's Republic of China.

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to improve the reporting quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) by evaluating RCTs of acupuncture for low back pain (LBP) based on the CONSORT and STRICTA statements.

Methods: Literature from the Cochrane Library, Medline, Embase, Ovid, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), WanFang database, and Chongqing Weipu (VIP) was systematically searched from 2010 to 2020. The general characteristics and the overall quality score (OQS) of the literature were evaluated by two investigators. The agreement between investigators was calculated using Cohen's kappa statistics.

Results: A total of 31 RCTs were extracted in the final analysis. Based on the CONSORT statement, the items "title and abstract", "background and objectives", "intervention", "outcomes", "statistical methods", "baseline data", "outcomes and estimation" and "interpretation" have a positive rate of greater than 80%. The items "implementation", "generalizability" and "protocol" have a positive rate of less than 30%. Based on the STRICTA statement, the items "style of acupuncture", "needle retention time", "number of treatment sessions", "frequency and duration of treatment" and "precise description of the control or comparator" have a positive rate of greater than 80%. The item "extent to which the treatment was varied" has a positive rate of less than 30%. The agreements among most items are determined to be moderate or good.

Conclusion: The reporting quality of RCTs of acupuncture for LBP is moderate. Researchers should rigidly follow the CONSORT and STRICTA statements to enhance the quality of their studies.

Keywords: CONSORT; STRICTA; acupuncture; low back pain; quality of reporting.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (GZY-KJS-2020-072), the Science and Technology Department of Guangdong Province (2018-5).