title: The quality of reporting of randomized controlled trials of electroacupuncture for stroke.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Electroacupuncture (EA), as an extension technique of acupuncture based on traditional acupuncture combined with modern electrotherapy, is commonly used for stroke in clinical treatment and researches. However, there is still a lack of enough evidence to recommend the routine use of EA for stroke. This study is aimed at evaluating the quality of reporting of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on EA for stroke.
  
  
  METHODS
  RCTs on EA for stroke were evaluated by using CONSORT guidelines and STRICTA guidelines. Microsoft Excel 2010 and the R software were used for descriptive statistics analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy studies involving 5468 stroke patients were identified. The CONSORT scores ranged from 16.2 to 67.6% and STRICTA scores from 29.4 to 82.4%. The central items in CONSORT as eligibility criterion, sample size calculation, primary outcome, method of randomization sequence generation, allocation concealment, implementation of randomization, description of blinding, and detailed statistical methods were reported in 100, 6, 68, 37, 14, 10, 16, and 97% of trials, respectively. The reporting of items in STRICTA as acupuncture rationale was 1a (91%), 1b (86%) and 1c 0%; needling details 2a (33%), 2b (97%), 2c (29%), 2d (64%), 2e (100%), 2f (55%) and 2 g (66%); treatment regimen 3a (69%) and 3b (100%); other components of treatment 4a (86%) and 4b (13%); practitioner background item 5 (16%); control intervention(s) 6a (93%) and 6b (10%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The quality of reporting of RCTs on EA for stroke was generally moderate. The reporting quality needs further improvement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
authors.forename: Jing-Jing
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
authors.forename: Wen-Ting
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
authors.forename: Su-Bing
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China. gq_zheng@sohu.com.
authors.forename: Guo-Qing
authors.initials: GQ
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D015671:Electroacupuncture; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D020521:Stroke / Q000628:therapy*
keywords: Electroacupuncture; Methodology; Randomized controlled trial; Stroke