| Methods |
Design: three group parallel trial
Purpose: examine the effect of electroacupuncture for chemotherapy‐induced emesis |
| Participants |
Patients: female patients receiving chemotherapy
Baseline comparability: yes for age, no for emesis with prior chemotherapy |
| Interventions |
Placebo: superficial needling at a location different from PC6 or ST36, no 'de Qi', or electrical stimulation ('minimal needling' )
Untreated: no needling
Experimental: needling at PC6 or ST36, de Qi ‐sensation, and electrical stimulation
(Co‐intervention: standard antiemetic regime and escape medication) |
| Outcomes |
Use of antiemetic medication
Total number of emesis episodes
Proportion of emesis free days |
| Notes |
Overall antiemetic escape medication was not reported. We report the use of prochlorperazine as outcome, which we consider the relevant drug. |
| Risk of bias |
| Bias |
Authors' judgement |
Support for judgement |
| Adequate sequence generation? |
Low risk |
'random number table' |
| Allocation concealment? |
Low risk |
'serially numbered, sealed, opaque envelopes' |
| Blinding?
Treatment provider |
High risk |
Not described as double‐blind (placebo/electroacupuncture) |
| Blinding?
Outcome assessor |
Unclear risk |
NS |
| Incomplete outcome data addressed?
All outcomes |
Low risk |
Drop‐out < 15% |
| Free of selective reporting? |
High risk |
No protocol available. Overall antiemetic escape medication was not reported. We report the use of prochlorperazine as outcome, which we consider the relevant drug. |
| Free of other bias? |
Low risk |
|
| No signs of variance inequality or skewness? |
Low risk |
No variance inequality (F‐test not statistically significant) and no skewness (1.64 standard deviations does not exceed the mean) |
| Trial size > 49? |
Low risk |
N = 67 |
| Clearly concealed allocation + trial size > 49 + drop‐out max 15% |
Low risk |
All three categories fulfilled |
