Quality Evaluation of Randomized Controlled Trials on Chinese Medicine in the Treatment of HIV/AIDS-associated Herpes Zoster and Postherpetic Neuralgia
To assess the quality of randomized controlled trials(RCTs) on Chinese medicine and acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of HIV/AIDS-associated herpes zoster(HZ) and postherpetic neuralgia.Methods:Relevant articles were retrieved from eight databases in Chinese and English.The methodology quality and reporting quality of the eligible articles were evaluated based on Cochrane ROB Tool 2.0,CONSORT 2010 Statement,CONSORT Extension for Reporting Chinese Herbal Medicine Formulas,and STRICTA checklist.Results:A total of 16 eligible RCTs were included,with 12 on Chinese medicine and 4 on acupuncture and moxibustion.A total of 25% of RCTs showed high overall risk of bias,and 75% had possible overall risk of bias.A total of 37.5% and 18.75% of the articles reported the random sequence generation and allocation concealment,respectively.The average compliance to the CONSORT 2010 Statement was 36.32%,and no trail depicted 11 items in the statement such as the registration,trail design,blinding,and implementation.The average compliance of articles on the Chinese medicine to CONSORT Extension for Reporting Chinese Herbal Medicine Formulas was up to 56.76%(maximum:81.25%).Only 27.27% described the authentication and qualitative test of Chinese medicine.The average compliance of trials on the acupuncture and moxibustion to STRICTA checklist was 67.06%,with the maximum of 82.35%,and no trial described the qualification or years in acupuncture practice of participating acupuncturists.Conclusion:RCTs on Chinese medicine in the treatment of HIV/AIDS-associated HZ and postherpetic neuralgia generally showed high risk of bias and low reporting quality,but reporting quality of interventions was relatively high.It is recommended that future studies should follow the CONSORT 2010 Statement,CONSORT Extension for Reporting Chinese Herbal Medicine Formulas,and STRICTA checklist.In particular,registration and reporting of random sequence generation,blinding,and qualification or years in acupuncture practice of participating Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturist should be emphasized.