Randomized Controlled Trials of Acupuncture (1997–2007): An Assessment of Reporting Quality with a CONSORT‐ and STRICTA‐Based Instrument

Abstract

The present study describes the development of a comprehensive quality of reporting assessment tool and its application to acupuncture RCTs from 1997–2007. This Oregon CONSORT STRICTA Instrument (OCSI) is based on the revised CONSORT guidelines as modified by the STRICTA recommendations for acupuncture trials. Each of the resulting 27 OCSI items were applied to English language prospective RCTs that compared acupuncture, using manual and/or electro-stimulation, to no treatment, a sham procedure, or usual biomedical care. The 333 RCTs that met inclusion criteria were dispersed among 27 countries and 141 journals. Mean quality of reporting score for all articles was 63.0% (SD 16.5). Mean OCSI scores revealed a 30.9% improvement over the ten-year period (P < .001). Our findings suggest that to enhance quality of reporting, authors should better attend to seven specific OCSI items in three categories: practitioner training, adverse events, and aspects of randomization and blinding (n = 5). The broad diversity in geographical origin, publication site and quality of reporting, viewed in light of the considerable room for improvement in mean OCSI scores, emphasizes the importance of making STRICTA as well as CONSORT more widely known to journals and to the acupuncture research community.

Measuring expectations of benefit from treatment in acupuncture trials: A systematic review

“…A c c e p t e d M a n u s c r i p t Expectations at the end of treatment. Question: [1] How strongly they believed in acupuncture treatment prior to therapy. [2] To what degree the treatment received had met their expectations.…”

“…Although acupuncture trial reporting quality has improved, it remains low [1,2] and credibility and clinical applicability of the research is not improved by a lack of consensus around intervention design [3].…”

Improving the reporting and usability of research studies

“…24 Several studies have attempted to gauge the impact of reporting guidelines; [25][26][27][28][29] however, research on the effect of efforts to ensure adherence to reporting guidelines is missing from this body of evidence.…”

“…24 Plusieurs études ont tenté d'évaluer l'impact des directives de présentation. [25][26][27][28][29] Toutefois, il manque à ce corpus de données probantes des recherches concernant l'effet des Improving the reporting and usability of research studies 341 efforts faits pour garantir le respect des directives de présentation. L'appui aux directives de présentation par les revues a été le mécanisme principal de leur adoption par et de leur diffusion aux utilisateurs cibles -c'est-à-dire les auteurs et les lecteurs experts.…”

L’acupuncture face à la Médecine Fondée sur les Preuves (Evidence-Based Medicine EBM) dans les maladies de l’appareil digestif

“…Un certain nombre d'études, principalement anglophones et chinoises, ont analysé sur une vaste échelle la qualité méthodologique des articles publiése na cupuncture. Ces analyses ont débouché sur l'adaptation des critères CONSORT-STRICTAe tJ adad à la spécificité de l'acupuncture, ainsi que sur la proposition de bonnes pratiques dans les centresd 'investigation cliniques [2,3].…”