Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38090106›Full record

ArticleMedical devices (Auckland, N.Z.)2023

Observational Study to Assesses the Efficacy and Safety of Microcurrent Therapy with a Portable Device in Patients Suffering from Chronic Back Pain, Skeletal System Pain, Fibromyalgia, Migraine or Depression.

Peter Marmann, Werner Wiatrek

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Medical devices (Auckland, N.Z.), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.1field-weighted citation impact, top 22% of its field
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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
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

2 authors.

Peter MarmannClinical Research, Healy World GmbH, Isaac-Fulda-Allee 1, Mainz, 55124, Germany.ORCID 0009-0001-9652-230X
Werner WiatrekWQS Management Consultants GmbH, Hamm, 59075, Germany.ORCID 0009-0005-0623-8022

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: In Germany, there are several microcurrent medical devices that are certified for the treatment of patients suffering from one of the indications chronic back pain, skeletal system pain, fibromyalgia, migraine or depression. While certification is based on controlled, randomized clinical trials, evidence of efficacy and safety under real-world conditions is limited to very few observational studies. To fill this gap, this study was conducted. Patients and Methods: Fifty patients per indication already using the investigational device before study entry were included and followed for a total 6 months. Each participant used the Healy in an individualized schedule to optimize the treatment of his/her special indication. This means that each participant performed on average 1-2 microcurrent applications per day for 20 to 30 minutes each. In all indications, the improvement of health-related quality of life was assessed by the SF-36 questionnaire and other validated indication specific surveys. Results: In all indications, the improvement of health-related quality of life as assessed by the SF-36 questionnaire was statistically highly significant and clinically relevant. These findings were supported by more specific outcome measures applied in each indication. Only four adverse events related to the application of microcurrent occurred during the trial. Conclusion: Microcurrent therapy has been demonstrated to be efficient and safe under real-world conditions for the treatment of each of the conditions for which the device is certified.

Indexed as

anxietymicrocurrent therapypainsleep disturbances

Identifiers

PMID38090106
PMCPMC10712256
OpenAlexW4389447470

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.