Evidence Base of Clinical Studies on Qi Gong: A Bibliometric Analysis

Author: Ya-Peng Zhang 1, Rui-Xue Hu 2, Mei Han 3, Bao-Yong Lai 4, Shi-Bing Liang 5, Bing-Jie Chen 6, Nicola Robinson 7, Kevin Chen 8, Jian-Ping Liu 9
Affiliation:
1 Centre for Evidence Based Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, China; Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: zhangyapeng@bucm.edu.cn.
2 Centre for Evidence Based Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, China; Center of Evidence Based Traditional Chinese Medicine, Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, China; Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: ruixue_hu@bucm.edu.cn.
3 Centre for Evidence Based Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, China; Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: hanmeizoujin@163.com.
4 The Third Affiliated Hospital of Beijing Universality of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China; Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: by_lai@126.com.
5 Centre for Evidence Based Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, China; College of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Taiyuan, 030000, China; Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: zyi20126185@163.com.
6 College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, China; Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: tian8388@163.com.
7 Centre for Evidence Based Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, China; School of Health and Social Care, London South Bank University, London, SE1 0AA, UK; Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: nicky.robinson@lsbu.ac.uk.
8 University of Maryland School of Medicine, Center for Integrative Medicine, United States; ShenZhen University, Faculty of Physical Education, China; Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: KChen@som.umaryland.edu.
9 Centre for Evidence Based Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, China; Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: Liujp@bucm.edu.cn.
Conference/Journal: Complement Ther Med
Date published: 2020 May
Other: Volume ID: 50 , Pages: 102392 , Word Count: 370


PMID: 32444061 DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102392

Abstract

Objective: This bibliometric study aimed to systematically and comprehensively summarize the volume, breadth and evidence for clinical research on Qigong. And this bibliometric analysis also can provide the evidence of this field.

Design: Bibliometric analysis.

Methods: All types of primary and secondary studies on humans were included: systematic reviews, randomized clinical trials, non-randomized controlled clinical studies, case series and case reports. Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, Chinese Academic Conference Papers Database and Chinese Dissertation Database, PubMed and the Cochrane Library were searched from the date of inception to December 10, 2018. Bibliometric information, such as publication information, disease/condition, Qigong intervention and research results were extracted and analyzed.

Results: A total of 886 clinical studies were identified: including 47 systematic reviews, 705 randomized clinical trials, 116 non-randomized controlled clinical studies, 12 case series and 6 case reports. The studies were conducted in 14 countries. The top 15 diseases/conditions studied were: diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, stroke, cervical spondylosis, lumbar disc herniation, insomnia, knee osteoarthritis, low back pain, and osteoporosis, Coronary heart disease, breast cancer, periarthritis of shoulder, depression, metabolic syndrome. Of the various Qigong exercises reported in these 886 clinical studies, Ba Duan Jin was the most frequently researched in 492 (55.5%) studies, followed by Health Qigong 107 (12.1%), Dao Yin Shu 85 (9.6%), Wu Qin Xi 67 (7.6%) and Yi Jin Jing 66 (7.4%). The most frequently used comparisons in randomized trials were maintaining normal way of life unchanged 149 (18.1%), the remaining controls included conventional treatment, mainly western medicine, Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture, health education, psychological therapy, Yoga, Tai Chi and other non-drug therapy. The most frequently reported outcomes were physical function, quality of life, symptoms, pain and mental health indicators. Beneficial results from practicing Qigong were reported in 97% of studies.

Conclusions: Qigong research publications have been increasing gradually. Reports on study types, participants, Qigong Intervention, and outcomes are diverse and inconsistent. There is an urgent need to develop a set of reporting standards for various interventions of Qigong. Further trials of high methodological quality with sufficient sample size and real world studies are needed to verify the effects of Qigong in health and disease management.

Keywords: Ba Duan Jin; Bibliometric Analysis; Clinical Study; Non-drug therapy; Qigong.

Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

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