The blinding status and characteristics in acupuncture clinical trials: a systematic reviews and meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Sham acupuncture is a widely accepted control in acupuncture clinical trials. Given the nature of acupuncture, it is warranted to assess the blinding of sham-controlled trials. Despite the sham acupuncture design having been widely used, the overall blinding of sham acupuncture and the characteristics of blinding assessment in acupuncture trials are unclear. This research aims to assess the blinding status of acupuncture clinical trials and explore the blinding assessment characteristics in acupuncture trials.

Methods

This meta-analysis included all the acupuncture clinical trials published in English that performed blinding assessments and reported the results. We searched PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from inception t

SUBMITTER: Liu T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11624600 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature