Table 4.
The result of certainty assessment for depression scores
| Comparison | Number of studies | Within-study bias | Reporting bias | Indirectness | Imprecision | Heterogeneity | Incoherence | Confidence rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC vs. AC with RTMS | 1 | Major concerns | No concerns | No concerns | Some concerns | Some concerns | No concerns | Low |
| AC vs. AC with TCM | 1 | No concerns | No concerns | No concerns | Some concerns | No concerns | No concerns | High |
| AC vs. AC with WM | 2 | Some concerns | No concerns | No concerns | No concerns | Major concerns | No concerns | Low |
| AC vs. TCM | 1 | No concerns | No concerns | No concerns | Some concerns | Some concerns | No concerns | Moderate |
| AC vs. UC | 9 | Some concerns | No concerns | No concerns | No concerns | Some concerns | No concerns | Moderate |
| AC vs. WM | 21 | Some concerns | No concerns | No concerns | No concerns | Some concerns | No concerns | Moderate |
| AC with CT vs. WM | 1 | Some concerns | No concerns | No concerns | Some concerns | Some concerns | No concerns | Moderate |
| AC with TCM vs. TCM | 2 | Major concerns | No concerns | No concerns | Some concerns | Some concerns | No concerns | Low |
| AC with TCM vs. WM | 4 | Major concerns | No concerns | No concerns | No concerns | Some concerns | No concerns | Low |
| AC with TCM with WM vs. WM | 2 | Some concerns | No concerns | No concerns | Some concerns | No concerns | No concerns | Moderate |
| AC with Tai Chi vs. WM | 1 | Major concerns | No concerns | No concerns | Some concerns | Some concerns | No concerns | Low |
| AC with WM vs. WM | 11 | Some concerns | No concerns | No concerns | No concerns | Some concerns | Some concerns | Moderate |
| AM vs. AM with WM | 1 | Some concerns | No concerns | No concerns | Major concerns | No concerns | No concerns | Low |
| AM vs. WM | 1 | Some concerns | No concerns | No concerns | Some concerns | Some concerns | No concerns | Moderate |
| AM with WM vs. WM | 4 | Some concerns | No concerns | No concerns | No concerns | Major concerns | No concerns | Low |
| TCM vs. WM | 1 | Major concerns | No concerns | No concerns | Some concerns | No concerns | No concerns | Low |
| UC vs. WM | 1 | Some concerns | No concerns | No concerns | No concerns | Some concerns | No concerns | Moderate |
NOTE: AC, Acupuncture; AM, Acupuncture and moxibustion; TCM, Traditional Chinese medicine; WM, Western medicine; UC, Usual care; RTMS, Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation; CT, Cognitive therapy