The efficacy and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion combined with western medicine for obsessive-compulsive disorder: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Obsessive-compulsive disorder is common, chronic mental disorder, which is characterized by recurrent, unwanted, or intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors or mental action. Acupuncture and moxibustion, as a popular form of complementary and alternative therapy, have the advantages of low side effects, high safety, and low cost. The research showed that acupuncture and moxibustion have a good clinical efficacy on obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, there is no literature to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder. Thus, this study is aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion for obsessive-compulsive disorder patients, providing reliable evidence for clinical application.

METHODS: Randomized controlled trials of acupuncture and moxibustion combined with western medicine for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder will be searched in the databases including PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane library, Web of science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI), WanFang, the Chongqing VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, and China biomedical literature database (CBM) from inception to June, 2020. In addition, Baidu, Google Scholar, International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, and Chinese Clinical Trials Registry will be searched to obtain the gray literature and relevant data that have not yet been published. Two qualified researchers will extract data and assess the risk of bias from included studies dependently. Statistical analysis is performed in RevMan 5.3 software.

RESULTS: The efficacy and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion combined with western medicine for obsessive-compulsive disorder will be assessed based on the total effective rate, Hamilton Anxiety Scale score, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score, Clinical Global Impression score, side effects, and so on.

CONCLUSIONS: The proposed systematic review and meta-analysis of acupuncture and moxibustion combined with western medicine for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder is expected to provide reliable evidence for clinical application.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The private information from individuals will not publish. This systematic review also will not involve endangering participant rights. Ethical approval is not required. The results may be published in a peer-reviewed journal or disseminated in relevant conferences.

OSF REGISTRATION NUMBER: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/CDGTW.