Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28690661›Full record

ArticleEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2017

Reliability of the NICMAN Scale: An Instrument to Assess the Quality of Acupuncture Administered in Clinical Trials.

Caroline A Smith, Christopher J Zaslawski, Suzanne Cochrane, Xiaoshu Zhu, Zhen Zheng, Bertrand Loyeung, Peter C Meier, Sean Walsh, Charlie Changli Xue, Anthony L Zhang and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Acupuncture or acupressure for pain management during labour.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020
    Pooled it
  3. Acupuncture and acupressure for premenstrual syndrome.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018
    Pooled it
  4. Review
  5. Review
  6. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Caroline A SmithNational Institute of Complementary Medicine, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-7828-0597
Christopher J ZaslawskiSchool of Life Sciences, The University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-5618-5161
Suzanne CochraneNational Institute of Complementary Medicine, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
Xiaoshu ZhuNational Institute of Complementary Medicine, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
Zhen ZhengSchool of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Bertrand LoyeungSchool of Life Sciences, The University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-6498-2486
Peter C MeierFaculty of Science, The University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Sean WalshSchool of Life Sciences, The University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Charlie Changli XueSchool of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-6937-9088
Anthony L ZhangSchool of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-0968-9380
Paul P FaheySchool of Science and Health, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia.
Alan BensoussanNational Institute of Complementary Medicine, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-7433-667X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe aim of this study was to examine the reliability of a scale to assess the methodological quality of acupuncture administered in clinical research.

methodsWe invited 36 acupuncture researchers and postgraduate students to participate in the study. Firstly, participants rated two articles using the scale. Following this initial stage, modifications were made to scale items and the exercise was repeated. Interrater reliability was assessed for individual items using the Fleiss kappa statistic, whilst the overall scale used the intraclass correlation coefficient statistic. A threshold agreement of ≥0.61 was acceptable.

resultsWe received 26 responses and a 72% response rate. The first phase of testing found moderate reliability with intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.46 and 0.55 for the articles. The interrater reliability of the scales varied between and within the researchers (0.35, 0.60) and was more consistent with the postgraduate students (0.54, 0.54). Five items on the scale scored below the threshold and were revised for further testing. In this phase the intraclass correlation coefficient demonstrated variability between articles but improved to achieve reliability above the agreed threshold.

conclusionThis study provides evidence of the reliability of the NICMAN scale although improvements to a small number of items remain.

Identifiers

PMID28690661
PMCPMC5485295

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.