ArticleF1000Research2025
Effectiveness of Chinese herbal medicine on improving sleep and mental health in adults: Study protocol for a stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial.
Article in F1000Research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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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.
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.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
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Authors and funding
16 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Depression, anxiety, and insomnia significantly impact global health and impose substantial health burdens worldwide. Conventional treatments including pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy face limitations in efficacy, side effects, and accessibility. Despite preliminary evidence suggesting the potential of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) in managing these conditions, large-scale evaluations are lacking. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of CHM for the treatment of adults experiencing mild-to-moderate symptoms of depression, anxiety, and insomnia. Methods: This study will be a multicenter, pragmatic stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial. Districts will be randomized to receive the CHM intervention sequentially in four steps based on a computer-generated number, while control districts remain unexposed until their respective intervention phase. The intervention consists of a three-level stepped-care approach: Level 1 involves herbal tisane for mild symptoms, Level 2 offers standardized CHM for moderate symptoms or non-responders to Level 1, and Level 3 combines personalized CHM with psychotherapy for those not improved by Level 2. Symptom severity will be assessed using validated scales, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 for anxiety, and Insomnia Severity Index for insomnia, with primary outcomes measured at baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up. The study was approved by the Hong Kong Baptist University Research Ethics Committee (Approval No.: REC/22-23/0709). Discussion: This study will provide significant insights into the effectiveness of a stepped-care CHM intervention for alleviating depression, anxiety, and insomnia. The results could guide future decision-making regarding the integration of CHM into mainstream healthcare systems in Hong Kong and beyond. Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2400083685, April 30, 2024, https://www.chictr.org.cn/hvshowprojectEN.html?id=251238&v=1.0.
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