A protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis of acupuncture for drug resistant epilepsy

BACKGROUND: This study aims to appraise the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for drug resistant epilepsy (DRE). METHODS: We will search all potential randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture for patients with DRE from their origin to March 1, 2020: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Scopus, WANGFANG, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database. We will not apply any restrictions to the language and publication date. All RCTs investigating the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for patients with DRE will be included. Study quality will be appraised by Cochrane risk of bias, and statistical analysis will be scrutinized by RevMan 5.3 software. Whenever possible, a narrative summary to describe study quality and content of the evidence will be performed. RESULTS: This study will provide summarize high quality evidence and will utilize a variety of outcome measurements to verify effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for DRE. CONCLUSION: The results of this study will seek to explore the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for DRE. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42020170517.