Acupuncture and related interventions for anxiety in coronavirus disease 2019: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Traditional Chinese medicine plays an irreplaceable role in the treatment and prevention of epidemic diseases in China. Acupuncture is an important part of Chinese medicine. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, acupuncture and related interventions are used to treat COVID-19 patients in China. The systematic review aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture and relevant interventions for anxiety in COVID-19. METHODS: We will search for randomized control and observational studies of acupuncture and related interventions for anxiety in COVID-19 in the 6 databases from inception to 31 October 2020. There is no language restriction. Two independent reviewers will screen and collect all trials, data extraction and evaluate the risk of bias of the researches. We will perform a meta-analysis if appropriate. RESULTS: Our findings will evaluate the feasibility of acupuncture and related interventions as adjunctive therapy for anxiety in COVID-19 patients, which will be disseminated in a relevant conference and published in a peer-reviewed publication. CONCLUSION: Our research will appraise the overall quality and evidence of whether acupuncture and related interventions are effective therapies for anxiety in COVID-19.