SynthesisBMC complementary medicine and therapies2025
Systematic review of clinical practice guidelines on acupuncture for chronic musculoskeletal pain.
Synthesis in BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Clinical Effects of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: An Umbrella Review of Level I Evidence.Journal of evidence-based medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Shuci method of electroacupuncture improves self-perception and quality of life in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a multicenter randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Trial
- Article
- Effectiveness and safety of motion style acupuncture treatment for acute neck pain: a multicenter randomized controlled trial.Chinese medicine · 2026Article
- Evaluating the Effect of Electroacupuncture in Knee Osteoarthritis: Protocol for a Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of pain research · 2026Article
- AI-enabled comprehensive patient safety management in acupuncture: from risk identification to continuous quality improvement.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Review
- Adapted Evidence-Informed Expert Consensus on the use of Acupuncture in Managing Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain in Hong Kong: A Delphi Consensus Study.Journal of evidence-based integrative medicineArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionAcupuncture is increasingly utilised in primary care to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain, supported by a growing body of evidence. This rising adoption has driven demand for clinical practice guidelines (CPGs). We summarised the characteristics of recent acupuncture CPGs for osteoarthritis, low back pain, neck pain, and shoulder pain, and critically appraised their methodological quality.
methodsWe searched nine databases to identify acupuncture CPGs published from January 2014 to November 2024. Eligible CPGs were required to be developed by guideline committees and to include evidence-informed recommendations linked to clearly defined levels of evidence. Two independent reviewers extracted CPG characteristics and assessed methodological quality using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) instrument.
resultsOf the 1,999 records screened, 17 CPGs were included, encompassing 35 recommendations. Shoulder pain was the most addressed condition (n = 14), followed by low back pain (n = 11), osteoarthritis (n = 8), and neck pain (n = 2). Various types of acupuncture were considered, with manual acupuncture featuring in most (n = 26) recommendations. Overall, 60% of the recommendations supported the use of acupuncture, comprising 5.7% strong recommendations and 54.3% weak or conditional recommendations. In contrast, 22.9% of recommendations offered no explicit guidance, while 17.1% advised against its use. Methodological assessment classified 10 CPGs as high quality, while seven were of moderate quality.
conclusionsContradictions exist among the included CPGs regarding whether acupuncture should be recommended for routine practice, potentially reflecting differences in clinical and cultural contexts. Local CPGs should be developed using rigorous methodology, ensuring the involvement of local stakeholders. An AGREE II extension should be developed for the methodological quality assessment of acupuncture CPGs.
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What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.