GRADE in Systematic Reviews of Acupuncture for Stroke Rehabilitation : Recommendations based on High-Quality Evidence

Systematic reviews (SRs) of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have demonstrated acupuncture's effectiveness in stroke rehabilitation. The current study reviews the quality of evidence in SRs of acupuncture in stroke rehabilitation, and rates the strength of recommendation for its use based on this evidence using the GRADE (grading of recommendations, assessment, development and evaluations) approach. A comprehensive literature search was performed using multiple databases (e.g., Medline, Embase) with advanced search strategies. Two authors independently selected articles, collected data, and assessed the methodological quality of each identified SR according to AMSTAR (a measurement tool to assess systematic reviews) and OQAQ (Oxman and Guyatt's overview quality assessment questionnaire). Outcomes related to stroke rehabilitation were evaluated. SRs of high methodological quality (AMSTAR score ≥9 and OQAQ score ≥7) were graded using GRADE. Ultimately, acupuncture yields benefits in stroke rehabilitation (neurological function improvement: RR = 1.34; swallowing improvement: RR = 1.61, 1.49, 1.07; disability: SMD = 0.49 or 0.07). Poor evidentiary quality and insufficient information about harm led to weak recommendations. In conclusion, acupuncture may improve stroke rehabilitation, as the GRADE approach indicated a weak recommendation for acupuncture's usage in this context.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2015

Erschienen:

2015

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:5

Enthalten in:

Scientific reports - 5(2015) vom: 12. Nov., Seite 16582

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Xin, Zhang [VerfasserIn]
Xue-Ting, Liu [VerfasserIn]
De-Ying, Kang [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Journal Article
Meta-Analysis
Review

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 09.09.2016

Date Revised 24.03.2024

published: Electronic

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.1038/srep16582

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM254565166