The Current Status of Quality of Reporting in Acupuncture Treatment Case Reports: An Analysis of the Core Journal in Korea.

Jeongjoo Kim,Yoon-Ji Eom,Dongwoo Nam,Younbyoung Chae,Ye-Seul Lee

doi:10.1155/2017/5810372

Abstract

Objectives The present study aimed to evaluate the overall quality of case reports concerning acupuncture treatment in Korea. Methods We selected a representative Korean journal and retrieved eligible case reports on acupuncture treatment published from 2009 to 2015. We assessed the quality of reporting based on CAse REport (CARE) and STandards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) guideline checklists. Results A total of 93 eligible case reports of acupuncture treatment were identified among the 107 articles screened. Overall quality of reporting in the case reports was generally acceptable (75.4% on CARE, 67.7% on STRICTA), but several crucial items remained substantially underreported. Conclusions Endorsement of the CARE and STRICTA guidelines is needed to improve the completeness of reporting. Our findings will be helpful in developing a more appropriate reporting guideline for case reports in acupuncture treatment.

Highlights

Case reports are detailed narratives that describe a medical problem experienced by one or more patients for the purpose of medicine, science, or education [1]
Values are the number of case reports that included the item divided by the total number of eligible case reports; ∗less than 50%
Endorsement of the CARE and STRICTA guidelines is needed to improve the completeness of reporting of acupuncture treatment-based case reports

Summary

Introduction

Case reports are detailed narratives that describe a medical problem experienced by one or more patients for the purpose of medicine, science, or education [1]. They are considered useful for recognizing new diseases and identifying adverse events and beneficial effects associated with new treatments [2]. Since case reports are not sufficiently rigorous to show evidence of effectiveness in the era of clinical trials, they can be overlooked as “mere anecdotes” [3]. Case reports guide personalized treatment in clinical practice, but they generate hypotheses for future clinical trials [4].

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Conclusion