Chinese medicine for coronavirus disease 2019 as complementary therapy: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to assess effectiveness and safety of Chinese medicine (CM) as complementary therapy in treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: The following databases will be searched: PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, and Wanfang database from October 1, 2019 to March 1, 2020. Randomized trials and quasi-randomized or prospective controlled clinical trials of CM that reported data on COVID-19 patients will be included. Study selection, data extraction, quality assessment, and assessment of risk bias will be performed by 2 reviewers independently. Odds ratios and correlative 95% confidence intervals will be calculated to present the association between the CM and CWM using Review Manager version 5.3 when there is sufficient available data. RESULTS: The results will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed journal publication. CONCLUSION: This systematic review findings will summarize up-to-date evidence for that CM is more effective and safe as adjunctive treatment for patients with COVID-19. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval and patient consent are not required as this study is a systematic review based on published articles. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020185382.