Critical appraisal method of acupuncture safety

Critical appraisal method of acupuncture safety
Jaung-geng Lin1,Pin-kuei Fu1,Shih-Liang Chang2

1. Graduate Institute of Chinese Medical Science, China Medical University, Taichung City, Taiwan,China
2. Graduate Institute of Integration Chinese and Western Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung City, Taiwan,China
Correspondence to Shih-Liang Chang,MD,PhD, Graduate Institute of Integration Chinese and Western Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung City, Taiwan,China
Tel:+886-4-22053366 ext 1647?Fax:+886-4-8346349 ?E-mail: slchang@mail.cmu.edu.tw

In recent years, more and more importance has been placed on traditional medicine around the world. In May 2002, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched its Traditional Medicine Strategy 2002~2005, suggesting traditional therapies were included in existing national health policy systems, while also providing clinical guidelines to ensure appropriate, safe and effective application of these established treatment modalities. The concept of evidence-based medicine (EBM) proposed by British Professor Archie Cochrane has also gained gradual acceptance and even gained health insurance approval. Given these developments, evidence-based medical study of literature relating to traditional Chinese medicine is both timely and significant.
As acupuncture is an invasive treatment, safety in clinical application should be closely monitored. The safety issue remains largely unresolved, however, and given its rising prominence and acceptance, a resolution is urgently required. Study of the relevant literature may provide a relatively rapid way to evaluate the safety of acupuncture statistically. At the same time, establishing a critical appraisal model will provide a reference for relative intensity study of evidence-based medicine in traditional Chinese medicine.
The PubMed and Medline database search using the terms “acupuncture” and “safety” selected relevant publications. Based on this critical evaluation of the literature and the derivation of these indicators, we conclude that acupuncture safety is supported with certain evidence in research relative to conventional and accepted therapies without evidence.