Assessment of the quality of reporting in randomized controlled trials of acupuncture in the Korean literature using the CONSORT and STRICTA statements

Tags: Poster
Kim KH1, Kang JW2, Choi J3, Lee JD2
1Department of Acupuncture & Moxibustion Medicine, Korean Medicine Hospital, Pusan National University, South Korea, 2Department of Acupuncture & Moxibustion, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Republic of Korea, 3Department of Internal Medicine, Korean Medicine Hospital, Pusan National University, South Korea

Background: Adequate reporting quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is a prerequisite for comprehensive understanding and optimal utilization of research results. However, the current status is not necessarily satisfactory.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the reporting quality of RCTs of acupuncture in the Korean literature.

Methods: Twelve Korean databases and seven Korean journals were searched to identify eligible RCTs published after 2005. The Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) checklist for parallel RCTs was used to assess the quality of reporting in Korean RCTs. The revised STandards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) was used to investigate the quality of reporting for intervention-related items.

Results: In total, 103 eligible RCTs were identified. Reporting quality was poor in 62% (28 out of 45) of items that comprise CONSORT. Items related to the risk of bias, including randomization reporting, allocation concealment and outcome assessor blinding, showed poorer quality of reporting (range 5.8–20.4%) (Table 1). Although some items of STRICTA for acupuncture rationale (range 47.6–97.1%), needling details (range 8.1–97.3%) and treatment regimen (range 77.7–88.3%) were relatively well reported, items related to treatment context (range 13.6–44.7%) and practitioner background (21.4%) were poorly reported (Table 2).

Conclusions: The reporting quality of Korean RCTs of acupuncture was suboptimal with regard to the CONSORT and the revised STRICTA statements. Inclusion of the CONSORT and revised STRICTA statements in author instructions and attempts to utilize those statements in writing and to review the overall process are necessary to achieve better quality of reporting in Korean RCTs of acupuncture.