World Journal of Acupuncture-Moxibustion最新文献

Technical Benchmark of Acupuncture and Moxibustion: Moxibustion was organized by the World Federation of Acupuncture–Moxibustion Societies and the revision was led by Anhui University of Chinese Medicine. This document was first issued in 2013, known as Moxibustion Manipulation. The technical benchmark of moxibustion include scope, normative reference, terms and definitions, operation and requirement and safety. This article introduces the above contents, explains the difficulties in the revision and give the suggestions for the application and popularization of this standard.

World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies (WFAS) Technical Benchmark of Acupuncture and Moxibustion: Scalp Acupuncture, was approved by WFAS, issued on October 9, 2023, and officially implemented on December 31, 2023. This technical benchmark specifies terms and definitions, scope of application, operation steps and requirements, security requirements, etc. In the development process, the actual clinical conditions of acupuncture and moxibustion in various countries have been fully considered. This technical benchmark is applicable to global acupuncture medical institutions, conducive to the standardized use of scalp acupuncture in clinical practice, and can promote the international dissemination of scalp acupuncture in a certain degree.

Clinical Practice Guideline on Acupuncture and Moxibustion: Nonspecific low back pain was revised and released by the Standards Working Committee of World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies (WFAS) on October 9, 2023. This is the first clinical practice guideline (CPG) on acupuncture and moxibustion for nonspecific low back pain approved by an international academic organization, which provides the evidence-based recommendations and practical therapeutic protocols for international acupuncture practitioners. This CPG was developed by following Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology, and the Principles of the World Health Organization Handbook for Guideline Development. The guideline development group (GDG) from different countries, with different professions, played a critical role in the formulation of clinical questions, recommendations, and therapeutic protocols. Recommendations are the key content of a CPG and the direct answers to clinical questions. Hence, this article focuses on the recommendations of this CPG. The recommendations were formulated using the modified Delphi method and the GRADE grid rules, based on the updated systematic reviews of clinical evidence. A total of seven recommendations for ten clinical questions were formulated in this CPG, including one conditional recommendation for either the intervention or the comparison based on very low quality of evidence, and six conditional recommendations for the intervention based on very low quality of evidence.

The Clinical Practice Guideline on Acupuncture and Moxibustion: Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) (WFAS 007.9-2023), officially released by the World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies (WFAS) on October 9, 2023, represents the inaugural acupuncture and moxibustion clinical practice guideline dedicated to GERD globally. This guideline outlines its purpose, scope, target audience, and relevant environments, along with detailing the acupuncture and moxibustion treatment methodology for GERD, as well as the guideline development process and recommendations. This article specifically emphasizes the recommendations of the guideline, highlighting the crucial importance of both the dissemination and adherence to this guideline to standardize acupuncture and moxibustion treatments for GERD. Such standardization plays a pivotal role in the advancement and widespread utilization of acupuncture and moxibustion in the management of GERD.

Urinary incontinence (UI) is common in women and affects the quality of life in female patients severely. But the clinical consideration and treatment are insufficient. Acupuncture and-moxibustion has been proposed as a potentially effective intervention for female UI. Hence, the World Federation of Acupuncture-moxibustion Societies (WFAS) have initiated a project to develop the clinical practice guideline (CPG) on acupuncture and moxibustion for female UI towards global acupuncture practitioners. The CPG was developed according to the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology, referring to the principles of the World Health Organization Handbook for Guideline Development. During the development of the CPG, the guideline development group (GDG) played an important role, which is composed of multi-national and multi-disciplinary experts. The clinical questions, recommendations and therapeutic protocols were all formulated by GDG using the modified Delphi method and basing on the results of the latest systematic review. This article focuses on the recommendations in the CPG. The CPG contains ten recommendations for ten clinical questions, including nine conditional recommendations for the intervention, one conditional recommendations for either the intervention or the comparison. The CPG also provides one conventional filiform needle therapy protocol, two deep puncturing stimulation on lumbosacral acupoints therapy protocols, and four moxibustion therapy protocols, extracted from the included clinical evidence of this CPG.

The formulation of recommendations is a crucial step in the development of clinical practice guidelines, which requires tools provided by the GRADE methodology. These tools include the evidence quality assessment tool, the evidence summary tool, and the evidence-to-decision (EtD) framework. Although there is a methodologically guided standard pathway for formulating recommendations in clinical practice guidelines, it remains unclear how to translate this theoretical pathway into the practical process for formulating recommendations and what the specific steps in this process entail. Therefore, this paper takes the World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies Clinical Practice Guidelines on Acupuncture and Moxibustion: Allergic Rhinitis as an example to detail the full process of formulating recommendations and summaries it into a three-step method. Step one: Collect original materials from different sources to create EtD table. Step two: Distribute and collect EtD table, and preliminarily gather the recommendation voting results. Step three: Organize “salami-slicing pattern” guideline development group consensus meeting to formulate recommendations. The three-step method for formulating recommendations in clinical practice guidelines fully utilizes the GRADE EtD table to provide guideline development group with decision-making foundation and reference from multiple dimensions, including the importance of clinical questions, balance of benefits and harms, quality of evidence, resource required, values and preferences, health equity, acceptability, and feasibility. This approach enhances the scientific and practical nature of guideline recommendations. This paper provides a standard operating procedure to formulate recommendations for the incoming clinical practice guidelines, which aims to establish a standard pathway for the formulation of acupuncture clinical practice guideline recommendations.

Clinical Practice Guideline on Acupuncture and Moxibustion: Migraine (WFAS 007.9-2023) is a clinical practice guideline officially released by the World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies (WFAS) on October 9, 2023, and is the first international guideline on the treatment of migraine with acupuncture. This international standard was developed under the guidance of rigorous evidence-based methodology, and it contains guideline purpose, scope, applicable population, applicable settings, overview of acupuncture for migraine, guideline development process and recommendations. For promoting the understanding and application of this guideline, this article summarizes a total of 18 recommendations in order to assist clinical decisions for migraine with acupuncture.

On December 31, 2023, World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies (WFAS) officially issued Technical Benchmark of Acupuncture and Moxibustion: Filiform Needle. This technical benchmark clarifies terms and definitions, operating procedures and requirements, safety requirements, etc. The promulgation and implementation of this technical benchmark would provide a standard for acupuncture practitioners to apply filiform needle in clinical practice, and may play a positive role in the safe use and promotion of filiform needle.

World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies (WFAS) Technical Benchmark of Acupuncture and Moxibustion: Cupping, developed under the leadership of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, was approved by WFAS. This technical benchmark was issued on October 9, 2023, and implemented on December 31, 2023. The main contents include the scope, normative references, terms and definitions, procedures and rules, and safety. This article focuses on the above contents, an outlook on the application, popularization, and update plan of this technical benchmark is proposed.

Determining clinical questions is fundamental to the development of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs), which bridges the initial phases and the final recommendations. It is essential for evidence retrieval and the formulation of recommendations. The scientific rigor and precision in determination of clinical questions directly influence the future implementation and applicability of guidelines. In 2020, the World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies initiated the project of clinical practice guideline on acupuncture and moxibustion for adult major depressive disorder (mild-moderate degree) to address clinical and medical decision-making issues in acupuncture treatment for adult mild to moderate major depressive disorder. This CPG provides systematic recommendations based on clinical evidence, patient values, and other factors, aiding decision-makers, clinicians, and patients in selecting appropriate interventions. This paper discusses and analyzes the determination process of clinical questions, and the related issues during the development of this guideline, aiming to provide a reference for determining clinical questions and developing CPGs in the field of acupuncture and exploring more scientific tools and methods for determining clinical questions in future CPGs.