REporting Guidelines for aCupuncture-Related AdverSe Event Case Reports (RECASE): Elaboration and Explanation

Area of Science:

• Medical research methodology
• Integrative and complementary medicine
• Patient safety

Background:

• Case reports are crucial for identifying adverse events (AEs) from medical interventions, including acupuncture.
• Current acupuncture-related AE case reports often lack sufficient procedural detail, potentially exaggerating harm and hindering causality assessment.
• This limits their educational value for preventing future AEs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop standardized reporting guidelines for acupuncture-related adverse event case reports.
• To enhance the transparency, fairness, and comprehensiveness of these reports.
• To improve the accuracy of harm assessment and educational value in acupuncture safety literature.

Main Methods:

• Development of the "REporting guidelines for aCupuncture-related AdverSe Event case reports" (RECASE).
• Adaptation of the CARE (CAse REports) guidelines.
• Utilized the expert Delphi methodology for consensus building.

Main Results:

• The RECASE guideline provides essential items for reporting acupuncture-related AE case reports.
• The guideline aims to address limitations in current reporting practices.
• It is expected to improve the quality and utility of future case reports.

Conclusions:

• The developed RECASE guidelines offer a standardized framework for reporting acupuncture-related AEs.
• Implementation of RECASE is anticipated to increase transparency and accuracy in reporting.
• This will ultimately contribute to safer acupuncture practices and better patient outcomes.