Table 2 Interventions details according to Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) guidelines
From: Acupuncture for acute moderate thalamic hemorrhage: randomized controlled trial study protocol
Item | Detail | Detail response |
|---|---|---|
1. Acupuncture rationale (Explanations and examples) | 1a) Style of acupuncture (e.g. Traditional Chinese Medicine, Japanese, Korean, Western medical, Five Element, ear acupuncture, etc) | Traditional needle acupuncture |
1b) Reasoning for treatment provided, based on historical context, literature sources, and/or consensus methods, with references where appropriate | Selected traditional acupuncture points in the 12 meridian system and scalp points based on literature review and clinical experience | |
1c) Extent to which treatment was varied | No variation | |
2. Details of needling (Explanations and examples) | 2a) Number of needle insertions per subject per session (mean and range where relevant) | 13–19 insertions per session |
2b) Names (or location if no standard name) of points used (uni/bilateral) | Scalp points: motor region and sensory region, unilateral on the side of the lesion Acupoints on limbs:LI15 (Jian Yu), LI11 (Qu Chi), SJ5 (Wai Guan), LI4 (He Gu), ST34 (Liang Qiu), ST36 (Zu San Li), GB34 (Yang Ling Quan), SP6 (San Yin Jiao), LV3 (Tai Chong),all unilateral on the affected side Modification: for dysphagia, GB20 (Feng Chi), RN23 (Lian Quan), and ST9 (Ren Ying); for facial paralysis, ST6 (Jia Che) and ST5 (Di Cang), unilateral on the affected side | |
2c) Depth of insertion, based on a specified unit of measurement, or on a particular tissue level | Depth of needle insertion is at least 5 to 10 mm | |
2d) Response sought (e.g. de qi or muscle twitch response) | De-qi sensation felt by practitioner and subject | |
2e) Needle stimulation (e.g. manual, electrical) | Manual | |
2f) Needle retention time | 30 min | |
2 g) Needle type (diameter, length, and manufacturer or material) | Needles: 0.25 × 40 mm, stainless steel (Huatuo brand, made by Suzhou Medical Appliances, China) | |
3. Treatment regimen (Explanations and examples) | 3a) Number of treatment sessions | 36 sessions |
3b) Frequency and duration of treatment sessions | 6 times per week, interval of 1 day between sessions | |
4. Other components of treatment (Explanations and examples) | 4a) Details of other interventions administered to the acupuncture group (e.g. moxibustion, cupping, herbs, exercises, lifestyle advice) | None |
4b) Setting and context of treatment, including instructions to practitioners, and information and explanations to patients | The same practitioner will treat every subject every session at the patient’s bedside | |
5. Practitioner background (Explanations and examples) | 5) Description of participating acupuncturists (qualification or professional affiliation, years in acupuncture practice, other relevant experience) | Licensed Traditional Chinese medicine doctor at Huaxi Hospital of Sichuan University with more than 10 years of acupuncture treatment experience |
6. Control or comparator interventions (Explanations and examples) | 6a) Rationale for the control or comparator in the context of the research question, with sources that justify this choice | No acupuncture will be performed on the control group |
6b) Precise description of the control or comparator. If sham acupuncture or any other type of acupuncture-like control is used, provide details as for Items 1 to 3 above. | No sham acupuncture will be performed on the control group |