Table 3.

Reporting Quality of 46 Randomized Controlled Trials According to Standards for Reporting Interventions in Controlled Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA)

Intervention		Description of item	No. trials eligible to the principle	Percentage
(1) Acupuncture rationale	1	1a) Style of acupuncture	46	100.00%
		1b) Rationale for treatment (e.g., syndrome patterns, segmental levels, trigger points) and individualization if used	46	100.00%
		1c) Literature sources to justify rationale	33	71.74%
(2) Needling details	2	2a) Points used (uni/bilateral)	46	100.00%
		2b) Numbers of needles inserted	24	52.17%
		2c) Depths of insertion (e.g., cun or tissue level)	21	45.65%
		2d) Responses elicited (e.g., de qi or twitch response)	21	45.65%
		2e) Needle stimulation (e.g., manual or electrical)	27	58.70%
		2f) Needle retention time	46	100.00%
		2g) Needle type (gauge, length, and manufacturer or material)	25	54.35%
(3) Treatment regimen	3	3a) Number of treatment sessions	46	100.00%
		3b) Frequency of treatment	46	100.00%
(4) Co-interventions	4	4a) Other interventions (e.g., moxibustion, cupping, herbs, exercises, lifestyle advice)	46	100.00%
(5) Practitioner background	5	5a) Duration of relevant training	2	4.35%
		5b) Length of clinical experience	2	4.35%
		5c) Expertise in specific condition	3	6.52%
(6) Control intervention(s)	6	6a) Intended effect of control intervention and its appropriateness to research question and, if appropriate, blinding of participants (e.g., active comparison, minimally active penetrating or nonpenetrating sham, inert)	11	23.91%
		6b) Explanations given to patients of treatment and control interventions	7	15.22%
		6c) Details of control intervention (precise description, as for item 2 above, and other items if different)	12	26.09%
		6d) Sources that justify choice of control	7	15.22%