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Acupuncture as a post-stroke treatment option: A narrative review of clinical guideline recommendations.

Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology
September 1, 2022
Stephen Birch et al. (2 authors)
Journal ArticleReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

To examine the extent to which international clinical and treatment guidelines on post-stroke treatment mention the role of acupuncture and identify what symptoms, including walking, they recommend for its use.

Results Summary

The study found that acupuncture received positive recommendations for walking as part of post-stroke rehabilitation in guidelines from 11 countries, indicating its perceived efficacy in this context. However, 35 guidelines from 18 countries made no mention of acupuncture for walking or other symptoms.

Population

Stroke patients in 27 countries (guidelines reviewed from 2001-2021).

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (14)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
acupuncture
decrease
various clusters of symptoms occurring after a stroke
stroke patients
-
may be useful to treat
#1
acupuncture
increase
stroke rehabilitation
stroke patients
-
positive recommendations on the use
#2
acupuncture
increase
dysphagia
stroke patients
-
positive recommendations on the use
#3
acupuncture
decrease
shoulder pain
stroke patients
-
positive recommendations on the use
#4
acupuncture
increase
motor recovery
stroke patients
-
positive recommendations on the use
#5
acupuncture
increase
walking
stroke patients
-
positive recommendations on the use
#6
acupuncture
increase
balance
stroke patients
-
positive recommendations on the use
#7
acupuncture
decrease
spasticity
stroke patients
-
positive recommendations on the use
#8
acupuncture
decrease
upper limb extremity impairment
stroke patients
-
positive recommendations on the use
#9
acupuncture
decrease
post-stroke pain
stroke patients
-
positive recommendations on the use
#10
acupuncture
decrease
central post stroke pain
stroke patients
-
positive recommendations on the use
#11
acupuncture
decrease
cognitive disorder
stroke patients
-
positive recommendations on the use
#12
acupuncture
decrease
depression
stroke patients
-
positive recommendations on the use
#13
acupuncture
decrease
sleep problems
stroke patients
-
positive recommendations on the use
#14
Abstract

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture may be useful to treat the various clusters of symptoms occurring after a stroke. The use of evidence to underpin clinical practice and treatment guidelines (CPGs and TGs respectively) varies from country to country and may affect what recommendations are made by guideline developers. PURPOSE: To examine the extent to which international clinical and treatment guidelines on post-stroke treatment mention the role of acupuncture and to identify what symptoms they recommend for its use. METHOD: Scoping of national and international websites of CPGs and TGs r on the after care and rehabilitation of stroke patients provided by professional and government organisations was conducted. The presence/absence of recommendations and the underpinning evidence was appraised for the use of acupuncture for symptoms following stroke. RESULTS: Of 84 CPGs and TGs on post stroke after-care identified from 27 countries between 2001 and 2021, 49 made statements about acupuncture. Positive recommendations on the use of acupuncture were identified for 15 symptom areas from 11 countries for: stroke rehabilitation, dysphagia, shoulder pain, motor recovery, walking, balance, spasticity, upper limb extremity impairment, post-stroke pain, central post stroke pain, cognitive disorder, depression, and sleep problems. Thirty-five CPGs (2001-2018) from 18 countries published over the same period were identified that made no mention of acupuncture and therefore no recommendations were made on its use. CONCLUSIONS: Currently, evidence used by international guideline developers varies and this influences whether a positive or negative recommendation is made. Recommendations to use acupuncture should be based on the best available evidence which has been quality appraised.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
Acupuncture TherapyHumansPainStroke
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy75/10
Quality65/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations33
Citations/Year11.0
Relative Citation Ratio5.71
NIH Percentile94.4%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.95
Weight Score2.55
Normalized Score0.63
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