Use of the hCONSORT criteria as a reporting standard for herbal interventions for common dermatoses: a systematic review

Abstract

Summary Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has been increasing in popularity in western countries for various conditions, including those that affect the skin. Alternative medicine is defined as treatment approaches that are outside the realm of western medicine and complimentary medicine combines the use of such treatments with western medicine. Despite this increase in prevalence, western healthcare providers have not integrated CAM into their practice due to a lack of reliable scientific studies that support its use. One way to close the gap between prevalence of public use and lack of reliable data is to improve the way studies are reported in medical journals. In 2006 guidelines were published to help scientific researchers conduct quality research regarding the use of herbal medications. These guidelines were called the CONSORT extension criteria on reporting herbal interventions (hCONSORT) and were published in 2006. We wanted to examine how well these guidelines we adopted in dermatology. As part of our research, based in the U.S., we reviewed scientific studies that investigated the use of plant-based medications for the use of three common skin conditions: acne, atopic eczema, and psoriasis. We focused on articles published between 2009 and 2014 and graded their adherence to the hCONSORT guidelines. Surprisingly, we found that the majority of these scientific studies adhered to less than 50% of the hCONSORT guidelines. Based on these findings, we recommend that scientists adhere to these guidelines when conducting studies regarding the use of herbal medications and that editors of scientific journals encourage adherence to these guidelines when presented with articles that assess the use of herbal medications. Doing so will help western healthcare practitioners safely and effectively integrate CAM into conventional medicine.