Complementary and alternative therapies for post-traumatic stress disorder: A protocol for systematic review and network meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder. While bringing psychologic pain to patients, it also damages their social function, which is a great threat to people's life and health. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies have been used clinically to treat PTSD; however, the selection strategies of different CAM interventions in clinical practice is still uncertain, and the purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and acceptability of different CAM therapies using systematic review and network meta-analysis. METHODS: According to the strategy, the authors will retrieve a total of 7 electronic databases by June 2020. After a series of screening, the 2 researchers will use Aggregate Data Drug Information System and Stata software to analyze the data extracted from randomized controlled trials of CAM therapies for the PTSD. Finally, the evidence grade of the results will be evaluated. RESULTS: This study will provide a reliable evidence for the selection of CAM therapies for PTSD. CONCLUSION: The results of this study will provide references for evaluating the influence of different CAM therapies for PTSD, and provide decision-making references for clinical research.