BackgroundDry eye is usually managed by conventional medical interventions such as artificial tears, anti-inflammatory drugs and surgical treatment. However, since dry eye is one of the most frequent ophthalmologic disorders, safer and more effective methods for its treatment are necessary, especially for vulnerable patients. Acupuncture has been widely used to treat patients with dry eye. Our aim is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for this condition.Methods/DesignA randomised, patient-assessor blinded, sham (non-acupuncture point, shallow acupuncture) controlled study was established. Participants allocated to verum acupuncture and sham acupuncture groups will be treated three times weekly for three weeks for a total of nine sessions per participant. Seventeen points (GV23; bilateral BL2, GB4, TE23, Ex1 (Taiyang), ST1 and GB20; and left SP3, LU9, LU10 and HT8 for men, right for women) have been selected for the verum acupuncture; for the sham acupuncture, points have been selected that do not coincide with a classical acupuncture point and that are located close to the verum points, except in the case of the rim of the eye. Ocular surface disease index, tear film breakup time, the Schirmer I test, medication quantification scale and general assessment of improvement will be used as outcome variables for evaluating the effectiveness of acupuncture. Safety will also be assessed at every visit. Primary and secondary outcomes will be assessed four weeks after screening. All statistical analyses will be performed using analysis of covariance.DiscussionThe results of this trial will be used as a basis for clarifying the efficacy of acupuncture for dry eye.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT00969280.

Objectives The purpose of this study is to understand the condition of the Ease-West Integrative Care system in one of Korean Medical hospital, to develop more effective system, and to collect advance information for future research. Methods We analyzed patient's status, patient's composition and the ranking of the major disease code. In addition, we investigated the operating system of how Ease-West Integrative Care in hospitals is operating in order to grasp the actual situation is being done. Results As a result of analyzing the status, there was a balanced cooperation between the Korean Medicine and Western Medicine with a ratio of 0.86:1. The disease status from Korean Medicine to Western Medicine were mostly occupied by stroke patients and from Western Medicine to Korean Medicine fragment were mostly by musculoskeletal pain patients. Conclusions The results of this study showed that the Ease-West Integrative Care system of surveyed Korean Medical hospital has more integrated medical characteristics than previous studies in terms of quality and quantitative. Future research based on detailed data collection and review for a longer period is expected in the further. (J Korean Med Rehabil 2017;27(2):93-99)

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were used to source articles for the review. Data of pain and function assessment instruments, measurement methods, time point and frequency for shoulder assessment were extracted. And it was analyzed by investigating the frequency of use for each item. Results A total of 78 studies met the selection criteria. There were many studies with no description for pain assessment instruments or inconsistent measurement methods. In the function assessment, the frequency of use was low and there were a lot of use of instruments with low validity and reliability. Conclusions To develop the objectivity of clinical research, further clinical studies, active use of measurement instruments, and standardization of measurement methods are needed. (J Korean Med Rehabil 2018;28(1):33-51)