"Background: Quality assessment and transparency reporting are central challenges in network meta-analysis research. Existing standards aligned with western medicine may not capture the unique attributes of acupuncture, failing to address researchers' and users' needs.
Objective: To select the key questions of the reporting quality of acupuncture network meta-analysis.
Methods: A question pool about reporting quality of acupuncture network meta-analysis was conducted by preliminary literature research and qualitative systematic review. A correspondence questionnaire was designed and the selection of key questions was carried out through two rounds of expert consultation using the Delphi method.
Results: A total of 21 key questions were selected for the network meta-analysis report standard of acupuncture, including whether to report details of acupuncture interventions (e.g., needle type, acupoints used, number of needles inserted, depth of needle insertion, retention time, needling techniques, and treatment duration), diagnostic criteria for diseases or traditional Chinese medicine syndromes, and qualifications of acupuncture practitioners. Of these, the only three key questions answered by the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and network meta-analysis (PRISMA-NMA) were summary, protocol and registration, and source of funding, while the remaining 19 were specific to acupuncture-related report standards. Conclusion: The conducted key questions on reporting guideline of acupuncture network meta-analysis can improve the standardization and rigor of relevant research and better utilize its academic and clinical value.
Funding statement: This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant number: 82004203]"