Characteristics of clinical studies of summer acupoint herbal patching: a bibliometric analysis.
BACKGROUND
Summer acupoint herbal patching (SAHP) has been widely used in China for thousands of years. This bibliometric analysis aims to provide a comprehensive review of the characteristics of clinical studies on SAHP for any condition.


METHODS
We included clinical studies such as randomized clinical trials (RCTs), controlled clinical studies (CCTs), case series (CSs), case reports (CRs), and cross-sectional studies on SAHP for any condition. Six databases were searched from date of inception to March 2015. Bibliometric information and study details such as study type, characteristics of participants, details of the intervention and comparison, and outcome were extracted and analyzed.


RESULTS
A total of 937 clinical studies were identified and which were published between 1977 and 2015. This included 404 RCTs, 52 CCTs, 458 CSs, 19 CRs and 4 cross-sectional studies and involved 232,138 participants aged 2 to 90 years from two countries. Almost all studies were from China (936, 99.89%). The five conditions most commonly treated by SAHP were asthma (401, 42.80%), chronic bronchitis (146, 15.58%), allergic rhinitis (117, 12.49%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (73, 7.79%), and recurrent respiratory tract infection (42, 4.48%). Among 502 controlled studies, the majority compared SAHP alone with different controls (16 categories, 275 comparisons). The most commonly used controls were western medicine, placebo, traditional Chinese medicine, no treatment and non-pharmaceutical traditional Chinese therapies. Composite outcome measures were the most frequently reported outcome (512, 69.19%).


CONCLUSIONS
A substantial amount of research on SAHP has been published in China and which predominantly focuses on respiratory conditions. The findings from this study can be used to inform further research by highlighting areas of greatest impact for SAHP.
Center for Evidence-Based Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, 11 Bei San Huan Dong Lu, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 10029, China. zhoufen_bucm@163.com.|School of Nursing, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 10029, China. zhoufen_bucm@163.com.
Fen
F
Zhou
School of Nursing, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 10029, China. yangdanxhxh@163.com.
Dan
D
Yang
School of Nursing, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 10029, China. 461297951@qq.com.
Jing-yu
JY
Lu
School of Nursing, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 10029, China. 794955987@qq.com.
Yan-fu
YF
Li
School of Nursing, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 10029, China. 1577201807@qq.com.
Kai-yue
KY
Gao
School of Nursing, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 10029, China. 1572951745@qq.com.
Ya-jing
YJ
Zhou
School of Nursing, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 10029, China. 654777984@qq.com.
Ruo-xue
RX
Yang
School of Nursing, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 10029, China. 13693103723@163.com.
Juan
J
Cheng
School of Nursing, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 10029, China. 1939212823@qq.com.
Xiao-xiong
XX
Qi
Complementary and Integrated Medicine Research Unit, Primary Care and Population Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK. lilylai@acupunctureandherbs.co.uk.
Lily
L
Lai
Complementary and Integrated Medicine Research Unit, Primary Care and Population Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK. glewith@scmrt.org.uk.
George
G
Lewith
Center for Evidence-Based Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, 11 Bei San Huan Dong Lu, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 10029, China. jianping_l@hotmail.com.
Jian-ping
JP
Liu
D015669:Acupuncture Points; D015706:Bibliometrics; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D000068456:Clinical Studies as Topic; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012621:Seasons
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal