Item | Criteria | Description | Number of positive trials | % | Cohen’s к coefficient | 95% CI |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Acupuncture rationale | (1a) Style of acupuncture (e.g., Traditional Chinese Medicine, Japanese, Korean, Western medical, Five Element, ear acupuncture, etc.) | 63 | 100 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
 |  | (1b) Reasoning for treatment provided, based on historical context, literature sources and/or consensus methods, with references where appropriate | 56 | 89 | 0.82 | 0.56 to 1.02 |
 |  | (1c) Extent to which treatment was varied | 2 | 3 | 0.79 | 0.64 to 1.20 |
2 | Details of needling | (2a) Number of needle insertions per subject per session (mean and range where relevant) | 9 | 14 | 0.83 | 0.64 to 1.02 |
 |  | (2b) Names (or location if no standard name) of points used (uni−/bilateral) | 63 | 100 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
 |  | (2c) Depth of insertion, based on a specified unit of measurement Or on a particular tissue level | 37 | 59 | 0.57 | 0.36 to 0.79 |
 |  | (2d) Responses sought (e.g., de qi or muscle twitch response) | 52 | 83 | 0.88 | 0.72 to 1.04 |
 |  | (2e) Needle stimulation (e.g., manual or electrical) | 31 | 49 | 0.90 | 0.80 to 1.01 |
 |  | (2f) Needle retention time | 56 | 89 | 0.82 | 0.56 to 1.07 |
 |  | (2 g)Needle type (diameter, length and manufacturer or material) | 49 | 78 | 0.74 | 0.52 to 0.96 |
3 | Treatment regimen | (3a) Number of treatment sessions | 60 | 95 | 0.85 | 0.56 to 1.10 |
 |  | (3b) Frequency and duration of treatment sessions | 58 | 92 | 0.73 | 0.37 to 1.10 |
 | Other components Of treatment | (4a) Details of other interventions administered to the acupuncture group (e.g., moxibustion, cupping, herbs, exercises, lifestyle advice) | 35 | 56 | 0.58 | 0.37 to 0.79 |
 |  | (4b) Setting and context of treatment, including instructions to practitioners, and information and explanations to patients | 2 | 3 | 0.79 | 0.39 to 1.20 |
5 | Practitioner background | (5) Description of participating acupuncturists (qualification or professional affiliation, years in acupuncture practice, other relevant experience) | 35 | 56 | 0.70 | 0.51 to 0.88 |
6 | Control or comparator interventions | (6a) Rationale for the control or comparator in the context of the research question, with sources that justify the choice(s) | 22 | 35 | 0.56 | 0.36 to 0.76 |
 |  | (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 1–3 above | 48 | 76 | 0.63 | 0.37 to 0.89 |