Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34862291›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2021

Status, reporting completeness and methodological quality of pilot randomised controlled trials in acupuncture: protocol for a systematic review.

Yajun Zhang, Hantong Hu, Xiaoyu Li, Jiali Lou, Xiaofen He, Yongliang Jiang, Jianqiao Fang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

7 authors.

Yajun Zhang *The Third Clinical Medical College, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.ORCID 0000-0003-0153-5878
Hantong Hu *Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.ORCID 0000-0001-8759-5083
Xiaoyu LiThe Third Clinical Medical College, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
Jiali LouThe Third Clinical Medical College, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
Xiaofen HeKey Laboratory of Acupuncture and Neurology of Zhejiang Province, Department of Neurobiology and Acupuncture Research, The Third Clinical Medical College, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
Yongliang JiangKey Laboratory of Acupuncture and Neurology of Zhejiang Province, Department of Neurobiology and Acupuncture Research, The Third Clinical Medical College, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
Jianqiao FangKey Laboratory of Acupuncture and Neurology of Zhejiang Province, Department of Neurobiology and Acupuncture Research, The Third Clinical Medical College, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China fangjianqiao7532@163.com.ORCID 0000-0003-4499-0352

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionTo date, there has been a lack of knowledge about the status, reporting completeness and methodological quality of pilot trials in the acupuncture field. Thus, this systematic review protocol aims to: (1) investigate publication trends and aspects of feasibility evaluated in acupuncture pilot trials; (2) identify the proportion of acupuncture pilot trials that lead to definitive trials and (3) assess the reporting completeness and methodological quality of pilot trials in acupuncture. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Studies of acupuncture pilot randomised controlled trials published from 2011 to 2021 will be retrieved in seven databases in January 2022, including PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database. The methodological quality and reporting completeness of all included studies will be assessed using the risk of bias 2.0 tool (RoB 2) and the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) extension to randomised pilot and feasibility trials, respectively. For the primary analysis, publication trends, aspects of feasibility and the proportion of pilot trials that lead to definitive trials will be analysed. A quantitative analysis of the methodological quality and reporting completeness of the included trials will be implemented by calculating the percentage of items reported in each domain of RoB 2 and CONSORT. The secondary analysis will adopt a regression analysis to identify factors associated with the reporting completeness. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval is not required for this study. This study is planned to be submitted to a peer-reviewed academic journal.

Indexed as

Acupuncture TherapyBiasHumansPilot ProjectsRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicReference StandardsSystematic Reviews as Topicclinical trialscomplementary medicineprotocols & guidelinesstatistics & research methods

Identifiers

PMID34862291
PMCPMC8647552

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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.