Effectiveness of rehabilitation training combined with acupuncture on aphasia after cerebral hemorrhage: A systematic review protocol of randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: This study aims to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of rehabilitation training (RT) combined with acupuncture on aphasia after cerebral hemorrhage (CH). METHODS: PUBMED, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, Web of Science, Ovid, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure will be searched to identify any potential studies from inception to March 1, 2019, without language restrictions. All randomized controlled trials and case-controlled studies assessing the effectiveness of RT combined with acupuncture for the treatment of aphasia following CH will be included in this study. Cochrane risk of bias tool will be used to determine the methodological quality for included studies. RevMan 5.3 software (Cochrane Community, London, UK) will be utilized to perform statistical analysis. RESULTS: This study will systematically evaluate the effectiveness of RT and acupuncture for aphasia post CH. Primary outcome includes aphasia, which can be measured by Aachener Aphasia Test or Communicative Activity Log or other related scales. Secondary outcomes consist of speech performance, as assessed by Western Aphasia Battery-Revised; measure of skill in Supported Conversation scales; measure of Participation in Conversation scales; types of strategies used in conversation; occurrence and repair of conversation breakdowns; as well as any adverse events. CONCLUSION: The results of this study will provide present evidence on assessing effectiveness of RT and acupuncture after CH. DISSEMINATION AND ETHICS: The findings of this study are expected to be published in peer-reviewed journals. It does not require ethical approval, because no individual data will be utilized in this study. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42019131587.