White 2000

Methods	Blinding: patients (blinding tested), study nurse Dropouts/withdrawals: bias unlikely for early follow up (8 weeks after randomization), but possible for follow-up 3 months after treatment Observation period: 3 weeks baseline; 5 weeks treatment; 3 months follow-up Acupuncturists’ assessments: GA differently/25% - BB differently/45%
Participants	Number of patients included/analyzed: 50/50 Condition: episodic tension-type headache (although during baseline several patients had headaches on more than half of all days) Demographics: mean age 49 years, 76% female Setting: 4 primary care practices and 1 university institute in the UK Time since onset of headaches: mean 20 years
Interventions	Acupuncture points: obligatory GB20 and LI4 + 4 optional, individualized points Information on acupuncturists: members of the British Medical Acupuncture Society DeChi achieved?: yes Number of treatment sessions: 8 Frequency of treatment sessions: first 6 treatments weekly, then one/month for 2 months Control intervention: sham treatment (tapping a blunted cocktail stick in a guide tube against bony prominences)
Outcomes	Method for outcome measurement: diary and questionnaires Main outcome measure: number of headache days Other outcomes: intensity, duration, analgesic use, General Health Questionnaire, global assessments
Notes	Non-traditional acupuncture technique (brief needling without needle retention) For analyses of headache frequency the data reported for headache days per week were multiplied by 4
Risk of bias
Item	Authors’ judgement	Description
Adequate sequence generation?	Yes	Computer program
Allocation concealment?	Yes	Central telephone randomization
Blinding?	Yes	Patients and assisting nurses were blinded.
All outcomes		Test of blinding suggests successful blinding.
Incomplete outcome data addressed? All outcomes	Yes	Low attrition rate and intention-to-treat analysis
Free of selective reporting?	Yes	Relevant outcomes presented
Incomplete follow-up outcome data addressed?	Unclear	10 of 25 (acupuncture group) and 6 of 25 (sham group) patients lost to follow-up