Clinical evidence on integrated Chinese-Western medicine for rheumatoid arthritis

Chinese medicine (CM) and the integrated Chinese-Western medicine (ICWM) have been recognized and commonly used in the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study aimed to leverage the AI-empowered Clinical Evidence for Integrated Chinese-Western Medicine (ACE-iMed) platform to identify clinical evidence on CM and ICWM for RA, categorize and assess it by literature type, and provide evidence summaries.

Following the ACE-iMed methodology, we first constructed a dedicated literature database for RA and identified clinical questions (CQs) and outcomes of interest to clinicians in the management of RA. Furthermore, for each specific CQ, we performed target searches and screening within the database, extracted data, assessed risk of bias/methodological quality, performed data analysis and provided evidence summaries.

Following literature searches and deduplication, 11,635 records were used to construct the RA and CM literature database. Across 18 questions covering ten major CM interventions and two comparisons, 556 records were ultimately identified, including 17 clinical practice guidelines/consensus statements, 35 systematic reviews, and 504 randomized controlled trials. Seven (38.9%) of the 18 CQs were supported by evidence from all three literature types. This study selected and presented evidence summaries for two CQs. Details and summaries of included studies for all CQs are available on the ACE-iMed platform.

This study and relevant ACE-iMed platform provide a structured overview of clinical evidence on both CM and ICWM questions regarding RA, which can support clinicians in accessing evidence rapidly and identifying evidence distribution patterns and research gaps, and may inform future research and evidence-based practice.