Article type
Abstract
Background: Constipation has detrimental effects on a patient's physical and mental well-being. It is also a risk factor for chronic diseases. Guidelines for treating constipation suggest that non-pharmacological treatments in addition to medication should be considered. Traditional Chinese Medicine provides relevant treatments for constipation as well.
Objective: To develop clinical practice guidelines primarily focused on acupuncture-related treatments for alleviating functional constipation.
Methods: This study followed the Handbook for Developing Evidence-Based Clinical Guidelines to produce knowledge by analyzing research and offering a concise reference for healthcare professionals to create evidence-based care that meets the needs of constipation patients. The recommendations' strength and the certainty of the evidence were determined using the GRADE framework. After drafting the guidelines, two experts used the AGREE II tool to assess their quality. Furthermore, a survey was conducted with 100 healthcare professionals to assess the viability of the guidelines.
Results: 24 studies from randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews were included and analyzed to identify evidence-based interventions. Thirty-two sets of clinical practice guidelines were developed for functional constipation. The overall certainty level ranged from moderate to high for evidence and low to moderator. An average score for methodological quality was 4, and for feasibility was from 3.76 to 4.35.
Conclusions: This study created the clinical practice guideline for treating functional constipation. The guideline has 32 clinical practice recommendations for six kinds of acupuncture-related treatments, including acupuncture, electroacupuncture, transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation, acupressure, auricular acupressure, and moxibustion. These guidelines were validated by the excerpts and a hundred healthcare professionals. However, it is recommended that the statement "Overall, the compilation of guidelines and literature review is orderly, but the applicability needs enhancement” be revised. Additionally, it is suggested that the formation of conclusions could include more specific recommendations, with an emphasis on improved clarification regarding applicability and updated procedures. To improve the quality of care for constipation patients, the next step is to investigate the application of these guidelines across healthcare settings. Educational initiatives should also be taken to ensure that healthcare providers are aware of and understand the recommendations outlined in the clinical practice guidelines.
Objective: To develop clinical practice guidelines primarily focused on acupuncture-related treatments for alleviating functional constipation.
Methods: This study followed the Handbook for Developing Evidence-Based Clinical Guidelines to produce knowledge by analyzing research and offering a concise reference for healthcare professionals to create evidence-based care that meets the needs of constipation patients. The recommendations' strength and the certainty of the evidence were determined using the GRADE framework. After drafting the guidelines, two experts used the AGREE II tool to assess their quality. Furthermore, a survey was conducted with 100 healthcare professionals to assess the viability of the guidelines.
Results: 24 studies from randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews were included and analyzed to identify evidence-based interventions. Thirty-two sets of clinical practice guidelines were developed for functional constipation. The overall certainty level ranged from moderate to high for evidence and low to moderator. An average score for methodological quality was 4, and for feasibility was from 3.76 to 4.35.
Conclusions: This study created the clinical practice guideline for treating functional constipation. The guideline has 32 clinical practice recommendations for six kinds of acupuncture-related treatments, including acupuncture, electroacupuncture, transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation, acupressure, auricular acupressure, and moxibustion. These guidelines were validated by the excerpts and a hundred healthcare professionals. However, it is recommended that the statement "Overall, the compilation of guidelines and literature review is orderly, but the applicability needs enhancement” be revised. Additionally, it is suggested that the formation of conclusions could include more specific recommendations, with an emphasis on improved clarification regarding applicability and updated procedures. To improve the quality of care for constipation patients, the next step is to investigate the application of these guidelines across healthcare settings. Educational initiatives should also be taken to ensure that healthcare providers are aware of and understand the recommendations outlined in the clinical practice guidelines.