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Published in: Trials 1/2017

Open Access 01-12-2017 | Research

Assessing the quality of reports about randomized controlled trials of scalp acupuncture treatment for vascular dementia

Authors: Young-Nim You, Myung-Rae Cho, Ju-Hyung Park, Gwang-Cheon Park, Min-Yeong Song, Jin-Bong Choi, Chang-Su Na, Jae-Young Han, Jeong-cheol Shin, Jae-Hong Kim

Published in: Trials | Issue 1/2017

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Abstract

Background

This study aimed to evaluate the quality of reports about randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of scalp acupuncture (SA) for the treatment of vascular dementia (VD).

Method

A systematic search of reports published through to December 2015 was performed in eight databases. The quality of RCTs that used SA as an intervention for VD was evaluated based on the 2010 Consolidated Standards for Reporting of Trials (CONSORT) and 2010 Standards for Reporting Interventions in Controlled Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) guidelines. Thirteen items from the CONSORT guideline were scored to give an overall quality score (OQS, range 0–13), and a combined key methodological index score (MIS) (range 0–5) of five key methodological items was measured. The OQS of 17 items from the STRICTA guideline (range 0–17) was also measured.

Results

In total, 26 reports were evaluated. The median OQS based on the CONSORT guideline was 8 (minimum 5, maximum 11), and “trial design,” “sample size,” “ancillary analyses,” and “harms” had a positive rate of less than 10%. The median MIS was 2 (minimum 0, maximum 5), with “allocation concealment and implementation,” “blinding,” and “intent-to-treat analysis” having a positive rate of less than 15%. The median OQS based on the STRICTA guideline was 12 (minimum 8, maximum 14), with “extent to which treatment was varied (1c),” “number of needle insertions per subject per session (2a),” and “setting and context of treatment (4b)” having a positive rate of less than 10%.

Conclusions

The overall quality of reports on RCTs of SA treatment for VD was moderate to low. The quality of methodological items was markedly lower than that of other items. The CONSORT and STRICTA guidelines should be used more frequently to standardize the quality of RCT reports of SA treatment for VD.
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Metadata
Title
Assessing the quality of reports about randomized controlled trials of scalp acupuncture treatment for vascular dementia
Authors
Young-Nim You
Myung-Rae Cho
Ju-Hyung Park
Gwang-Cheon Park
Min-Yeong Song
Jin-Bong Choi
Chang-Su Na
Jae-Young Han
Jeong-cheol Shin
Jae-Hong Kim
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Trials / Issue 1/2017
Electronic ISSN: 1745-6215
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-017-1945-0

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