Effectiveness comparisons of acupuncture for psoriasis: A Bayesian network meta-analysis protocol

Area of Science:

• Integrative and Complementary Medicine
• Dermatology
• Evidence-Based Medicine

Background:

• Psoriasis is a polygenic, hereditary, immune-mediated skin disease significantly impacting patient quality of life.
• Current acupuncture treatment selection for psoriasis often relies on individual clinician experience.
• Variability exists in clinical practice regarding the choice of acupuncture modalities for psoriasis management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically compare the effectiveness of various acupuncture treatments for psoriasis.
• To assess the quality of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.
• To provide a comprehensive overview of evidence for informed clinical decision-making in psoriasis acupuncture therapy.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was conducted across multiple databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMbase, CNKI, etc.) up to April 2019.
• Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating acupuncture for psoriasis were included.
• Network meta-analysis was performed using STATA and WinBUGS, with risk of bias and GRADE assessments.

Main Results:

• The study synthesized direct and indirect evidence from included RCTs.
• The results of the network meta-analysis will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.
• Evidence quality was systematically evaluated using the GRADE framework.

Conclusions:

• The findings will contribute to evidence-based guidelines for acupuncture in psoriasis management.
• This study aims to reduce variability in clinical practice by comparing different acupuncture approaches.
• The network meta-analysis provides a robust comparison of acupuncture's efficacy for psoriasis.