Article type
Year
Abstract
Background: As acupuncture becomes more and more popular around the world, the amount of research on it, both primary studies and systematic reviews/meta-analysis(SR/MAs), is increasing rapidly. However, the reporting quality of SR/MAs is poor. The Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) have shown positive work for reporting quality of clinical trials of acupuncture. Thus, it might be useful to develop an extension of PRISMA for acupuncture to improve the reporting quality of SR/MAs of acupuncture.
Objectives: Our first step was to investigate the need for information in SR/MAs of acupuncture from the perspectives of clinicians, researchers, master students and doctors.
Methods: Based on a literature review and the PRISMA statement, we designed a questionnaire, containing three parts: the demographic information of respondents; the experience of respondents; the importance of the proposed items. We selected five cities from south, north, north-west and south-west China, to conduct our survey in person, and interviewed those who major in Chinese acupuncture with more than one year's experience.
Results: A total of 269 questionnaires were collected in 18 hospitals, medical universities and research agencies, and 251 (93%) with complete data were used for analysis. The average age of respondents was 33 years. The length of most respondents’ service was less than five years and they read between one and five relevant articles per month. Various approaches for obtaining important information were used by interviewees, and electronic databases, search engines and academic conference were the most used. The most popular types of literature were RCTs (67%), observational studies (51%), basic research (46%), and SR/MAs (37%). Fifty-six per cent of the respondents indicated poor satisfaction with the completeness of information in the literature.
Conclusions: Clinicians, researchers and students have a pressing need for complete and critical information from SR/MAs in acupuncture.
Objectives: Our first step was to investigate the need for information in SR/MAs of acupuncture from the perspectives of clinicians, researchers, master students and doctors.
Methods: Based on a literature review and the PRISMA statement, we designed a questionnaire, containing three parts: the demographic information of respondents; the experience of respondents; the importance of the proposed items. We selected five cities from south, north, north-west and south-west China, to conduct our survey in person, and interviewed those who major in Chinese acupuncture with more than one year's experience.
Results: A total of 269 questionnaires were collected in 18 hospitals, medical universities and research agencies, and 251 (93%) with complete data were used for analysis. The average age of respondents was 33 years. The length of most respondents’ service was less than five years and they read between one and five relevant articles per month. Various approaches for obtaining important information were used by interviewees, and electronic databases, search engines and academic conference were the most used. The most popular types of literature were RCTs (67%), observational studies (51%), basic research (46%), and SR/MAs (37%). Fifty-six per cent of the respondents indicated poor satisfaction with the completeness of information in the literature.
Conclusions: Clinicians, researchers and students have a pressing need for complete and critical information from SR/MAs in acupuncture.