Acupuncture for postoperative pain in laparoscopic surgery: a systematic review protocol

Area of Science:

• Pain Management
• Surgical Recovery
• Complementary Medicine

Background:

• Postoperative pain is a significant concern after laparoscopic surgery.
• Effective pain management strategies are crucial for patient recovery and satisfaction.
• Acupuncture is a traditional therapy with potential analgesic properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for managing postoperative pain in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery.
• To synthesize evidence from randomized controlled trials to inform clinical practice.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature search across multiple international databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, CINAHL, AMED, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, J-STAGE, and Korean databases) up to October 2014.
• Inclusion of all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating acupuncture for postoperative pain after laparoscopic surgery.
• Assessment of risk of bias and reporting quality using Cochrane risk of bias tool, CONSORT, and STRICTA guidelines.

Main Results:

• The review will summarize current evidence on acupuncture's efficacy and safety for this indication.
• Quantitative data analysis will involve calculating risk ratios and mean differences with 95% confidence intervals.
• Findings will highlight the strength of evidence and potential benefits or harms of acupuncture.

Conclusions:

• The synthesized evidence will provide guidance for the clinical application of acupuncture in postoperative pain management after laparoscopic surgery.
• This review aims to support informed decision-making for both healthcare providers and patients.
• Dissemination of findings through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations is planned.