Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39902390›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in neurology2024

Chinese medicine for headaches in emergency department: a retrospective analysis of real-world electronic medical records.

Zhenhui Mao, Shirong Wu, Yuzhen Fan, Jingbo Sun, Shaohua Lyu, Qiaozhen Su

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in neurology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 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

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Factors predicting the response to vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) in pediatric patients with drug- resistant epilepsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2025
    Pooled it
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

6 authors.

Zhenhui Mao *The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine and Guangdong Provincial Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
Shirong Wu *The Second Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Yuzhen FanThe Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine and Guangdong Provincial Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
Jingbo SunThe Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine and Guangdong Provincial Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
Shaohua LyuThe Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine and Guangdong Provincial Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
Qiaozhen SuThe Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine and Guangdong Provincial Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Headaches are common complaints in the emergency department (ED) and have raised concern about acute medication overuse. Chinese medicine is a major complementary and alternative medicine in China and effective for headaches. This study aims to summarize characteristics of headache patients at EDs and the utilization of Chinese medicine for headache managements in EDs. Methods: The study conducted a retrospective analysis based on existing electronic medical records at EDs from four branches of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine. Only complete medical records with a first diagnosis of headache within the specified timeframe were included. Data was extracted, screened and standardized using a structured approach. Descriptive analyses and Apriori algorithm-based association rules were employed for the study. Results: A total of 3,355 medical records were analyzed, with over 86% of headaches classified as non-urgent. Approximately 97% of the patients received a general diagnosis of headaches without further classification. Hypertension was the most prevalent concomitant diagnosis, affecting 27.42% of the patients. Western medicine was prescribed to 66% of the patients for headaches and co-existing conditions, while each type of acute medication was prescribed to fewer than 10% of the patients. Conversely, over one-third of the patients utilized headache-specific patented Chinese herbal medicine products. Additionally, oral and topical Chinese herbal medicine treatments were also administered for headaches in the emergency departments. Conclusion: The majority of headaches consulting in the EDs were non-urgent and treated with various forms of Chinese medicine, alone or in conjunction of western medicine. Chinese herbal medicine may be promoted as alternatives to Western acute medications for treating benign headaches.

Indexed as

Chinese medicineelectronic medical recordemergency departmentheadachereal-world study

Identifiers

PMID39902390
PMCPMC11788132

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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.