Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Nov 29, 2024
Date Accepted: Feb 5, 2025
Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for post COVID-19 insomnia: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis
ABSTRACT
Background:
As the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound global impact, leading to range of persistent sequelae referred to as long COVID, which continue to affect patients worldwide. Among these sequelae, post COVID-19 insomnia (PCI) has emerged as a significant issue. Conventional treatments, including cognitive-behavioral therapy and pharmacological interventions, face limitations such as variable efficacy, potential side effects, and substantial costs. Currently, acupuncture has gained traction due to its efficacy, cost-effectiveness, and safety profile. This study aims to perform a meta-analysis and systematic review to assess the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of PCI.
Objective:
This study aims to conduct a meta-analysis and systematic review evaluating the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for the treatment of PCI, to delineate the optimal modality, intervention frequency and duration for achieving the most beneficial outcomes, and thereby to provide a comprehensive understanding of acupuncture's role in managing PCI, contributing to evidence-based clinical practice, and informing clinical decision-making.
Methods:
Electronic searches will be performed in 12 databases from inception to October 2024, without language restrictions. This includes both English databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, OVID and Scopus), as well as Chinese databases (China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wan-Fang Data (WANFANG), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP), Duxiu Database and the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry Center). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on acupuncture for PCI will be included. Primary outcomes will include the response rate, and insomnia severity; secondary outcomes will include Traditional Chinese Medicine Symptom Scale (TCMSSS) and adverse events rates. Data synthesis will utilize risk ratios for dichotomous data and mean differences for continuous data. Study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment will be conducted independently by two reviewers. Methodological quality of eligible studies will be evaluated following the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions (Version 5.1.0). Meta-analysis will be performed by RevMan 5.3.
Results:
Based on the data regarding response rate, insomnia severity, TCMSSS and adverse events rates, this study will provide an evidence-based review of the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for PCI treatment.
Conclusions:
This systematic review will present the current evidence for acupuncture for PCI, aiming to inform clinical practices and decision-making, and to enhance the understanding of acupuncture's role in managing PCI. Furthermore, it will identify research gaps and suggest potential areas for future investigation. Clinical Trial: PROSPERO CRD42024499284
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