Table 1.
Time to visit and data collection
| -1 week | 0 week | 2 week | 4 week | 1 month after Treatment Phase | 3 months after Treatment Phase | |
| Baseline | Treatment phase | Follow-up Phase | ||||
| Patients | ||||||
| Informed consent | X | |||||
| Medical history | X | |||||
| Physical examination | X | |||||
| Randomization | X | |||||
| Interventions | ||||||
| Specific acupoints of Stomach meridians(n = 120) | ||||||
| Non-specific acupoints of Stomach meridians(n = 120) | 20 sessions of acupuncture at acupoints | |||||
| Acupoints of Shu and Mu acupoints(n = 120) | ||||||
| Acupoints of Gallbladder meridians(n = 120) | ||||||
| Comparisons | ||||||
| Non-acupoints control group(n = 120) | 20 sessions of acupuncture at non-acupoints | |||||
| Itopride control group(n = 120) | 50 mg three times daily, 20 days treatment | |||||
| Outcomesa | ||||||
| NDI | X | X | X | X | X | |
| SID | X | X | X | X | X | |
| SF-36 | X | X | X | X | ||
| Participants safety | ||||||
| Laboratory test | X | X | ||||
| Adverse events | X | X | X | X | X | |
a. NDI = Nepean Dyspepsia Index; SID = Symptom Index of Dyspepsia; SF-36 = Mos 36-item Short Form Health Survey