Table 3.
Assessment of the studies’ quality based on the NICE checklist.
| A1. Adequate Randomization Method | A2. Adequate Concealment of Allocation | A3. Groups Comparable at Baseline | B1. Comparison Groups Received Same Care | B2. Participants Receiving Care Blind to Treatment | B3. Individuals Administering Care Blind to Allocation | C1. All Groups Followed Up for Equal Length of Time | C2a. How Many Participants Did Not Complete Treatment | C2b. Groups Comparable for Treatment Completion | C3. Participants in Each Were No Outcome Data Available | C3b. Groups Comparable Respect Availability of Outcome Data | D1. Adequate Length of Follow-Up | D2. Precise Definition of Outcome | D3. Reliable Method Used to Determine the Outcome | D4. Investigators Kept Blind to Participants Exposure | D5. Investigators Were Kept Blind to Confounding-Predictors | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Noorazar et al. (2020) | [69] | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (?) | (?) |
| 2. | Zamora et al. (2011) | [70] | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (?) | (?) |
| 3. | Arnold et al. (2011) | [71] | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (?) | (?) |
| 4. | Akhondzadeh et al. (2004) | [72] | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (?) | (?) |
| 5. | Bilici et al. (2004) | [73] | (+) | (+) | (?) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (?) | (?) |
| 6. | Konofal et al. (2008) | [74] | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (?) | (?) |
| 7. | Panahandeh et al. (2017) | [75] | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (?) | (?) |
| 8. | Rucklidge et al. (2018) | [76] | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (?) | (?) |
| 9. | Rucklidge et al. (2021) | [58] | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (+) | (?) | (?) |
Note. (+) Green color cell: presented-reported. (?) White color cell: not present or not reported. Items A1 to A3: selection bias (systematic differences between the comparison groups). Items B1 to B3: performance bias (systematic differences between groups in the care provided, apart from the intervention under investigation). Items C1 to C3b: Attrition bias (systematic differences between the comparison groups with respect to loss of participants). Items D1 to D5: Detection bias (bias in how outcomes are ascertained, diagnosed or verified).