Developing Guideline Recommendations and Treatment Regimens for Acupuncture: An Example from the Clinical Practice...

Area of Science:

• Complementary and Alternative Medicine
• Evidence-Based Healthcare
• Clinical Practice Guidelines

Background:

• Acupuncture is effective for nonspecific low back pain but lacks formal development protocols for clinical recommendations.
• International guidelines include acupuncture, yet specific development frameworks are insufficient.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline a methodology for developing clinical practice guidelines for acupuncture-moxibustion in nonspecific low back pain.
• To illustrate the guideline development process using a clinical question.

Main Methods:

• Systematic compilation of clinical evidence.
• Critical appraisal of evidence quality and applicability.
• Achieving expert consensus through a structured, transparent process.

Main Results:

• A structured and transparent process for guideline development was established.
• Guideline recommendations and treatment protocols were generated.
• A replicable framework for developing acupuncture clinical practice guidelines was provided.

Conclusions:

• The study offers a standardized framework for acupuncture guideline development.
• This contributes to the integration of acupuncture into evidence-informed healthcare.
• The methodology supports the standardization of acupuncture practice.