Table 3.
GRADE summary of included studies.
| Outcomes | Intervention | Effect | Number of participants (studies) | Quality of the evidence (GRADE) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relative effect (95% CI) | Absolute effect (95%) | ||||
| TER | QP versus placebo | RR:2.60 (2.11 to 3.21) | 370 more per 1000 (from 257 more to 511 more) | 682 (7 studies) | ⊕⊕⊕⊖ Moderatea |
| QP versus TCS | RR:0.96 (0.88 to 1.03) | 29 fewer per 1000 (from 88 fewer to 22 more) | 1028 (10 studies) | ⊕⊕⊕⊖ Moderatea | |
| QP + TCS versus TCS | RR:1.44 (1.28 to 1.62) | 240 more per 1000 (from 153 more to 338 more) | 604 (7 studies) | ⊕⊕⊕⊖ Moderatea | |
| TSS | QP versus placebo | — | SMD:2.35 lower (3.74 lower to 0.97 lower) | 536 (5 studies) | ⊕⊕⊖⊖ Lowa,b |
| QP versus TCS1 | — | SMD: 0.05 lower (0.22 lower to 0.12 higher) | 524 (3 studies) | ⊕⊕⊕⊖ Moderatea | |
| QP versus TCS2 | — | SMD: 0.52 higher (0.20 higher to 0.84 higher) | 153 (2 studies) | ⊕⊕⊖⊖ Lowa,c | |
| QP + TCS versus TCS3 | — | SMD:0.83 lower (1.10 lower to 0.56 lower) | 235 (3 studies) | ⊕⊕⊖⊖ Lowa,c | |
| QP + TCS versus TCS4 | — | SMD: 1.26 lower (1.51 lower to 1.00 lower) | 296 (3 studies) | ⊕⊕⊖⊖ Lowa,c | |
| VAS for pruritus | QP versus placebo | — | MD: 3.86 lower (4.41 lower to 3.31 lower) | 60 (1 study) | ⊕⊕⊖⊖ Lowa,c |
| QP versus TCS | — | SMD: 0.48 higher (0.00 to 0.96 higher) | 167 (2 studies) | ⊕⊖⊖⊖ Very Lowa,b,c | |
| QP + TCS versus TCS | — | MD: 0.88 lower (1.25 lower to 0.50 lower) | 259 (3 studies) | ⊕⊕⊖⊖ Lowa,c | |
| Skin irritative reaction | QP versus placebo | RR:1.47 (0.61 to 3.55) | 9 more per 1000 (from 8 fewer to 51 more) | 700 (7 studies) | ⊕⊕⊕⊖ Moderatea |
| QP versus TCS | RR:1.82 (0.79 to 4.22) | 10 more per 1000 (from 2 fewer to 38 more) | 1189 (12 studies) | ⊕⊕⊕⊖ Moderatea | |
| QP + TCS versus TCS | RR:0.69 (0.27 to 1.78) | 13 fewer per 1000 (from 29 fewer to 31 more) | 449 (5 studies) | ⊕⊕⊕⊖ Moderatea | |
TER: total efficacy rate; TSS: total symptom score; VAS: visual analogue scale; QP: Qingpeng ointment; TCS: topical corticosteroid; 1Qingpeng ointment versus medium or low potency TCS; 2Qingpeng ointment versus medium-high potency TCS; 3Qingpeng ointment combined with medium or low potency TCS versus medium or low potency TCS; 4Qingpeng ointment combined with medium-high or high potency TCS versus medium-high or high potency TCS; asuboptimal methodological quality; bthe significant heterogeneity among the studies; cthe total number of events was less than 400.