Reporting quality of systematic reviews/meta-analyses of acupuncture.
BACKGROUND
The QUOROM and PRISMA statements were published in 1999 and 2009, respectively, to improve the consistency of reporting systematic reviews (SRs)/meta-analyses (MAs) of clinical trials. However, not all SRs/MAs adhere completely to these important standards. In particular, it is not clear how well SRs/MAs of acupuncture studies adhere to reporting standards and which reporting criteria are generally ignored in these analyses.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate reporting quality in SRs/MAs of acupuncture studies.


METHODS
We performed a literature search for studies published prior to 2014 using the following public archives: PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR), the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) database, the Chinese Journal Full-text Database (CJFD), the Chinese Scientific Journal Full-text Database (CSJD), and the Wanfang database. Data were extracted into pre-prepared Excel data-extraction forms. Reporting quality was assessed based on the PRISMA checklist (27 items).


RESULTS
Of 476 appropriate SRs/MAs identified in our search, 203, 227, and 46 were published in Chinese journals, international journals, and the Cochrane Database, respectively. In 476 SRs/MAs, only 3 reported the information completely. By contrast, approximately 4.93% (1/203), 8.81% (2/227) and 0.00% (0/46) SRs/Mas reported less than 10 items in Chinese journals, international journals and CDSR, respectively. In general, the least frequently reported items (reported≤50%) in SRs/MAs were "protocol and registration", "risk of bias across studies", and "additional analyses" in both methods and results sections.


CONCLUSIONS
SRs/MAs of acupuncture studies have not comprehensively reported information recommended in the PRISMA statement. Our study underscores that, in addition to focusing on careful study design and performance, attention should be paid to comprehensive reporting standards in SRs/MAs on acupuncture studies.
Evidence-Based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Clinical Translational Research and Evidence-Based Medicine of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China.
Yali
Y
Liu
Evidence-Based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China; The First Clinical Medical College of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Rui
R
Zhang
Evidence-Based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China; The First Clinical Medical College of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Jiao
J
Huang
Evidence-Based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China; The Second Clinical Medical College of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Xu
X
Zhao
Evidence-Based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Clinical Translational Research and Evidence-Based Medicine of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China; The First Clinical Medical College of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Danlu
D
Liu
Evidence-Based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China; The Second Clinical Medical College of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Wanting
W
Sun
Evidence-Based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China; The Second Clinical Medical College of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Yuefen
Y
Mai
Evidence-Based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China; Department of Cardiology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Ji'nan, Shandong Province, China.
Peng
P
Zhang
Acupuncture and Massage College, Gansu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou, China.
Yajun
Y
Wang
Department of Neurology, Gansu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou, China.
Hua
H
Cao
Evidence-Based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Clinical Translational Research and Evidence-Based Medicine of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China; The First Clinical Medical College of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Ke hu
Kh
Yang
D006801:Humans; D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D016208:Databases, Factual; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D011643:Publishing / Q000592:standards; D000078202:Systematic Reviews as Topic; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic