Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41928876›Full record

SynthesisFrontiers in endocrinology2026

Honey dressing for diabetic foot ulcers: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Ling Yao, Jiezhi Dai, Shasha Mei

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Frontiers in endocrinology, 2026. 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

3 authors.

Ling YaoDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital (GROUP) of Putian University, Putian, Fujian, China.
Jiezhi DaiDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, JiaoTong University, Shanghai, China.
Shasha MeiDepartment of Nursing, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, JiaoTong University, Shanghai, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of honey dressing compared to conventional dressings in the treatment of DFUs. Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis following PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, BIOSIS, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and Google Scholar internet were searched from inception to Jan 31, 2026 for RCTs comparing honey dressing with conventional dressings in DFU patients. Primary outcomes were complete wound healing rate and time to complete healing. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2.0 tool. The quality of evidence was graded through the Grading of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach. Results: Sixteen RCTs involving 1423 participants were included. The sample sizes ranged from 23 to 348 participants. The follow-up duration varied from 4 to 24 weeks. Meta-analysis showed that honey dressing significantly improved the complete healing rate (OR 2.28, 95% CI 1.76 to 2.95) and reduced the time to complete healing (MD -4.38, 95% CI -8.06 to -0.71) compared to controls. According to the GRADE system, the overall quality of evidence for the outcomes of time to healing was rated as 'Low', and the quality of evidence for the outcomes of healing rate was rated as 'moderate'. Conclusion: Honey dressing is a safe and more effective intervention for DFUs than conventional dressings, associated with significantly improved healing rates and faster healing time. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420251244450, identifier CRD420251244450.

Indexed as

BandagesDiabetic FootHoneyWound HealingHumansRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicTreatment Outcomediabetic foot ulcerhoney dressingmeta-analysisRCT - randomized controlled trialwound healing

Identifiers

PMID41928876
PMCPMC13038560

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.