Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31239857›Full record

ArticleEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2019

Comparison of Magnetic Auriculotherapy, Laser Auriculotherapy and Their Combination for Treatment of Insomnia in the Elderly: A Double-Blinded Randomised Trial.

Lorna K P Suen, A Molassiotis, S K W Yueng, C H Yeh

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02970695 (Effectiveness of Auriculotherapy on Older People With Insomnia), which is not on this map. Cited by 13 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed, 2 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.

NCT02970695 nacompletednot on this map

Effectiveness of Auriculotherapy on Older People With Insomnia

TypeinterventionalSponsorThe Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityRan2016 to 2018Enrolled147ConditionsInsomniaArmsmagneto-auriculotherapy (MAT), Laser auriculotherapy (LAT)
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

13 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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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

4 authors.

Lorna K P SuenSchool of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong.ORCID 0000-0002-0126-6674
A MolassiotisSchool of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong.
S K W YuengSchool of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong.
C H YehSchool of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, 525 N. Wolfe St., Room 421, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5326-6660

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundInsomnia is common amongst the elderly. With the adverse effects of prolonged use of hypnotics, the exploration of noninvasive and nonpharmacological complementary methods for insomnia is warranted. Auriculotherapy (AT) is a therapeutic approach where specific points on the auricle are stimulated to manage various physiological disorders. The purpose of this study is to determine the desirable treatment modality using AT to improve the sleep conditions of the elderly.

methodsA three-arm double-blinded randomised trial was conducted on 145 eligible subjects. This study investigated three minimally invasive procedures, namely, laser auriculotherapy (LAT), magneto-auriculotherapy (MAT), and their combination. Seven auricular points were used. Treatment was performed three times a week, for six weeks. Subjects were assessed at baseline, six weeks, and follow-up after six weeks, three months, and six months. Generalised estimating equations were used to evaluate interactions amongst the groups over time based on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), sleep parameters using actigraphic monitoring, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) using SF-12, and PHQ-9 for depression status.

resultsThe treatment effects of the three procedures were comparable. Significant improvements were found in all of the subjective measures (PSQI, HRQOL, and PHQ-9) for individual groups over time. Improvements in the objective sleep parameters using actigraphic monitoring were detected in subjects who received MAT procedures but not in those who received LAT. The combined MAT and LAT approach did not show any advantage over MAT.

conclusionsThe treatment effects of the three procedures were comparable in subjective parameters but not by objective measures using actigraphic monitoring. Longer therapeutic course and more frequent administration of LAT may be considered in future trials to achieve the optimal treatment effect.

trial registrationThis trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02970695, registered May 2016.

Identifiers

PMID31239857
PMCPMC6556291

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Registered trials

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.