Article type
Year
Abstract
Background: In the Cochrane Library, the systemic reviews of trials should be as global as possible and with no limitation of language or geography. When the topic is related to acupuncture, some basic diagnostic criteria of acupuncture must be included.
Objectives: To study whether the Cochrane Database Systematic Reviews (CDSR) places language and geographical restrictions on searching for acupuncture, and whether the trials used the diagnostic criteria of 'pattern identification’ in their researches.
Methods: We searched 'acupuncture’ published in the CDSR, years from 2009 to 2011 were all included. We first examined the published country and whether any language restrictions existed. Then we examined the reviews descriptions and whether the pattern identification was mentioned on their researches. We excluded the studies without direct relevance to acupuncture. Moxibustion, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and Chinese herb wereexcluded.
Results: There are 56 results out of 6,602 records for: 'acupuncture’ in Record Title. One of the reviews in CDSR had imposed language restrictions in Chinese. The other review had language restrictions in English and Chinese. There are 25 reviews had no language restrictions.And the remaining reviews had unclear restriction on language. We also noticed all 56 studies are from two continents and 7 countries. There is one review from Germany, one from Norway, three fromCanada, six from USA, and eight from Australia. With literal inspection on the type of participants, all of the included trials in 56 studies processed without basic diagnostic criteria of patternidentification.
Conclusions: There appears to be most of the reviews do not have any language restrictions on searches. And all the reviews are from very few countries. It reminds us there might not have enough diversity to show the real world. Besides pattern identification is not addressed enough, which would reduce the accuracy of the reviews for acupuncture.
Objectives: To study whether the Cochrane Database Systematic Reviews (CDSR) places language and geographical restrictions on searching for acupuncture, and whether the trials used the diagnostic criteria of 'pattern identification’ in their researches.
Methods: We searched 'acupuncture’ published in the CDSR, years from 2009 to 2011 were all included. We first examined the published country and whether any language restrictions existed. Then we examined the reviews descriptions and whether the pattern identification was mentioned on their researches. We excluded the studies without direct relevance to acupuncture. Moxibustion, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and Chinese herb wereexcluded.
Results: There are 56 results out of 6,602 records for: 'acupuncture’ in Record Title. One of the reviews in CDSR had imposed language restrictions in Chinese. The other review had language restrictions in English and Chinese. There are 25 reviews had no language restrictions.And the remaining reviews had unclear restriction on language. We also noticed all 56 studies are from two continents and 7 countries. There is one review from Germany, one from Norway, three fromCanada, six from USA, and eight from Australia. With literal inspection on the type of participants, all of the included trials in 56 studies processed without basic diagnostic criteria of patternidentification.
Conclusions: There appears to be most of the reviews do not have any language restrictions on searches. And all the reviews are from very few countries. It reminds us there might not have enough diversity to show the real world. Besides pattern identification is not addressed enough, which would reduce the accuracy of the reviews for acupuncture.