From: Quality of reporting on randomized controlled trials of acupuncture for stroke rehabilitation
Item | Criteria | Description | No. of positive trials | % | 95% CI | Cohen’sк coefficient | 95% CI |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | “Randomized” in the title or abstract | Study identified as a randomized controlled in the title or abstract | 15 | 100 | - | 1.00 | - |
2 | Background | Adequate description of the scientific background and explanation of rationale | 12 | 80 | 57 to 100 | 0.74 | 0.50 to 0.98 |
3 | Trial design | Description of trial design (such as parallel, factorial) including allocation ratio | 10 | 67 | 40 to 94 | 0.71 | 0.45 to 1.00 |
4 | Participants | Description of the eligibility criteria for participants | 13 | 87 | 67 to 100 | 0.78 | 0.40 to 1.00 |
5 | Interventions | Details of the interventions intended for each group | 11 | 73 | 48 to 99 | 0.82 | 0.70 to 1.00 |
6 | Outcomes | Definition of primary (and secondary when appropriate) outcome measures | 4 | 27 | 1 to 52 | 0.85 | 0.75 to 0.99 |
7 | Sample size | Description of sample size calculation | 2 | 13 | −6 to 33 | 0.83 | 0.68 to 1.00 |
8 | Randomization | Description of the method used to generate the random sequence | 9 | 60 | 32 to 88 | 0.76 | 0.60 to 0.99 |
12 | Statistical methods | Description of the statistical methods used to compare groups for primary outcomes, subgroup analyses, or adjusted analyses | 11 | 73 | 48 to 99 | 0.73 | 0.40 to 1.00 |
13 | Flow chart | Details on the flow of participants through each stage of the trials (No. of patients randomly assigned, receiving intended treatment, completing the protocol and analyzed) | 5 | 33 | 6 to 60 | 0.84 | 0.68 to 1.00 |
14 | Recruitment | Dates defining the periods of recruitment and follow-up | 6 | 40 | 12 to 68 | 0.65 | 0.38 to 0.99 |
15 | Baseline data | An outline of baseline demographic and clinical characteristics of each group | 14 | 93 | 79 to 100 | 0.68 | 0.42 to 1.00 |
17 | Outcomes and estimation | For each primary and secondary outcome, a summary of results for each group is given, and the estimated effect size and its precision (e.g. 95% CI) | 4 | 27 | 1 to 52 | 0.75 | 0.52 to 1.00 |
18 | Ancillary analyses | Clear statement of whether subgroup/adjusted analyses were prespecified or exploratory | 3 | 20 | −3 to 43 | 0.68 | 0.35 to 0.99 |
19 | Harms | Description of all important adverse events in each group | 5 | 33 | 6 to 60 | 0.85 | 0.72 to 1.00 |