<p>Assessing the reporting quality in randomized controlled trials of acupuncture for postherpetic neuralgia using the CONSORT statement and STRICTA guidelines</p>

Abstract

Background This study evaluates the reporting quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on acupuncture use for the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia and explores related factors. Methods The following six databases PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, VIP, CNKI, and SinoMed, were systematically searched from their inception to December 2018. RCTs using acupuncture as an intervention for postherpetic neuralgia were selected and incorporated in this study. The reporting quality was assessed based on the CONSORT statement and the STRICTA guidelines. Regression analyses were also conducted on pre-specified study characteristics searching for factors associated with reporting quality. Results A total of 137 RCTs were included in this study. The CONSORT based median OQS was 12 (minimum 3, maximum 29). Of the items comprised in the statement, ten were sufficiently reported (reported in over 70% of trials). The remaining fifty-five items were poorly reported (reported by fewer than 5% of trials). The STRICTA based median OQS was 9 (minimum 2, maximum 15). The results showed that eight of the comprised items were well reported (reported in over 70% of trials), and only three were incompletely reported (reported in fewer than 20% of trials). Based on the CONSORT statement related analysis, a post-2010 publication (β coefficient 2.394, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.168–3.620) and funding (β coefficient 4.456, 95% CI: 3.009–5.903) represented independent and significant predictors of a high overall reporting quality. However, only a funding source (β coefficient 1.305, 95% CI 0.219–2.391) was associated with an increased OQS based on STRICTA analysis. Conclusion The findings indicated that RCTs on acupuncture for PHN generally had a sub-optimal reporting quality, a situation that improved for those published after 2010 or with funding sources. Therefore, rigorous adherence to the CONSORT statement and the STRICTA guidelines should be emphasized in future studies.

Do acupuncture trials have lower risk of bias over the last five decades? A methodological study of 4 715 randomized controlled trials

“…Our findings are similar to those previously reported, in which the authors found the reporting in acupuncture RCTs for a broad range of topics was generally poor when CON-SORT and STRICTA were used to assess the reporting quality [12][13][14][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31]. Additionally, several studies have shown the overall high rates of RCTs at unclear and high RoB on acupuncture, which are consistent with our findings [16,20,32].…”

“…Many studies have assessed the RoB or reporting quality in acupuncture RCTs, but they are restricted to the number of RCTs included, specific topics, journals, or countries [12][13][14][15][16][17]. As far as we know, there has not been an article that assesses the RoB of acupuncture RCTs from the inception of research.…”

Abstracts for reports of randomized trials of COVID-19 interventions had low quality and high spin

“…Using the CONSORT explanation and elaboration statement for abstracts of parallel group randomized trials by Moher et al [4] and previous reports [ 5 , 14 ], two reviewers worked independently (DGW and YGZ) to make a judgment on whether an item in the RCT abstract was adequately reported. These two reviewers were calibrated through rounds of 10 randomly selected abstracts until strong agreement (Cohen's κ statistic ≥0.90) was reached.…”

Reporting Quality of Randomized Controlled Trials for the Treatment of Eczema with Chinese Patent Medicine Based on the CONSORT‐CHM Formulas 2017

“…On the other hand, only 12 items had an optimal reporting rate (reported in over 70% of trials) in our study. Some studies on RCTs of TCM treatments hold the same results, and the number of items with an optimal reporting rate ranged from 10 to 16 [ 15 – 17 ]. In summary, most included RCTs in this study did not strictly comply with the CONSORT-CHM formulas 2017, and the reporting quality of 144 RCTs was suboptimal.…”