Table 1 Revised Standards for Reporting Intervention in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA)
Item | Item criteria | Description |
|---|---|---|
1. Acupuncture rationale | 1a) Style of acupuncture | Korean medicine therapy |
1b) Reasoning for treatment provided—based on historical context, literature sources, and/or consensus methods, with references where appropriate | • Discussion among four doctors that practice Korean medicine (consensus) • Textbook of acupuncture and moxibustion medicine • Relevant articles [9, 17,18,19,20,21,22] Selection of treatment regions based on textbooks, related papers, and expert discussions | |
1c) Extent to which treatment varied | Standardized treatment | |
2. Details of needling | 2a) Number of needle insertions per subject per session (mean and range where relevant) | 8 or 10 |
2b) Names (or location if no standard name) of points used (unilateral/bilateral) | Baihui (GV20), Sishencong (EX-HN1), Fengchi (GB20), Shenting (GV24), Taixi (KI3) | |
2c) Depth of insertion, based on a specified unit of measurement or on a particular tissue level | Needles will be inserted into the acupoints subgaleally along the scalp at an angle of 15–30°. GB20 will be punctured 17–30 mm in the direction toward the nose tip. GV24, the anterior EX-HN1, and GV20 will be punctured forward, and the left, right, and posterior EX-HN1 toward GV20. The depth of insertion will be 9–24 mm depending on the location of the needle. KI3 will be punctured bilaterally, vertically to a depth of 9–15 mm [9, 23] | |
2d) Responses sought | No de qi or muscle twitching—only sensation due to needle insertion | |
2e) Needle stimulation | None or electrical stimulation | |
2f) Needle retention time | 30 min per session or 20 min per session | |
2 g) Needle type | Sterile, stainless, disposable acupuncture needles (size 0.25 mm × 30 mm, product no. A 84010.02; Dong Bang Acupuncture, Inc., Boryeong, Republic of Korea) | |
3. Treatment regimen | 3a) Number of treatment sessions | 24 |
3b) Frequency and duration of treatment sessions | 3 days/week for 8 weeks, 30 min per session or 20 min per session | |
4. Other treatment components | 4a) Details of other interventions administered to the acupuncture group | None |
4b) Setting and context of treatment—including instructions to practitioners—as well as information and explanations given to patients | Practitioner–patient conversation about the context of the treatment, life habits, and daily life management | |
5. Practitioner background | 5a) Description of participating acupuncturists | Korean medicine doctor with the following qualifications: 6 years of formal university training in Korean medicine and a license |
6. Control or comparator interventions | 6a) Rationale for the control or comparator in the context of the research question, with sources that justify the choice | [9] |
6b) Precise description of the control or comparator; details for items 1–3 with the use of sham acupuncture or any other type of acupuncture-like control | This study will investigate the optimal acupuncture treatment method for the treatment of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) through a comparison of the effects of different acupuncture treatment methods according to acupoint specificity, needle duration, and electrical stimulation in terms of an improvement in cognitive function in patients with MCI. There is no control or comparator |