Abstract
Background and Objectives
To evaluate and map the reporting and methodological quality of network meta-analysis
(NMA) on acupuncture.
Methods
Published acupuncture NMAs were searched through eight databases from inception to
February 2022. The reporting and methodological quality of included studies was assessed
using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Network
Meta-Analysis (PRISMA-NMA) statement and the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews
2 (AMSTAR-2) checklist.
Results
A total of 113 NMAs were identified. Most (99, 87.61%) studies were performed in China.
Most studies focused on multiple acupuncture techniques (82.30%), and the main studied
ailments were pain and poststroke sequelae (20.24%). The median (interquartile range
(IQR)) score of the reporting quality was 26.5 (25–28.5). However, poor reporting
rates in the protocol and registration (33.63%) and geometry of the network (35.40%),
especially for China-based studies, were identified. The methodological quality of
only 2 (1.77%) English studies was high. The reporting rate of Chinese studies was
below 15% on each of items 4, 7, 10, and 12.
Conclusion
The reporting quality of the NMAs was moderate, but the methodological quality was
very low. The reporting and methodological quality of future NMAs, especially for
Chinese studies, need further improvement.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 06, 2022
Accepted:
November 2,
2022
Footnotes
Co-first authors: Yan Wang and Nan Chen.
Funding: This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China: “Reporting Quality Assessment and Key Methods Research for Network Meta-analysis about Acupuncture” (Grant Number: 82004203).
Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable.
Consent for publication: All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Availability of data and material: Not applicable.
Declaration of interest: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Author Contributions: XXL and KHY initiated and designed the study, with contributions from YW, NC, YFL, and KLG contributed to the design of the search strategy. FFE, CQY, and XS reviewed the search results assisted from YW and NC. YFL did data extraction, assisted by KLG, FFE, CQY, and YLC. YW, NC, YFL, and KLG analyzed the data and interpreted the results. YW and NC wrote the first draft of the manuscript. YW, NC, XXL, YFL, and KHY revised the final manuscript and all authors approved the final version for submission.
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