Assessment of Reporting Quality in Randomized Controlled Trials of Acupuncture Combined with Other Treatments for Facial Paralysis with CONSORT Statement and STRICTA Standard

Abstract

Objective: The current study aims to assess the reporting quality and its correlation with randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on acupuncture associated with other treatments for facial paralysis. Methods: Original articles were retrieved from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), the China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), the Wanfang Database (WF), SinoMed, PubMed, and the Web of Science (WOS). The literature was published between 2020 and 2021 in Chinese and English. Results: A total of 22 articles were included, and the reporting rate of CONSORT items for 22 RCTs ranged from 16.22% to 40.54%. There were 23 entries with a reporting rate below 10%. Additionally, the reporting rate of STRICTA entries for the 22 RCTs ranged from 41.18% to 94.12%. Of all the STRICTA entries, five entries reported rates below or equal to 50%. No literature complies with the CONSORT statement, and none satisfies the STRICTA standard. Conclusion: The quality of randomized controlled trials of acupuncture combined with other treatments for facial paralysis was generally low. The future trial design of acupuncture and other methods for facial paralysis should be standardized to improve the reporting quality based on the CONSORT statement and the STRICTA standard.