Efficacy and safety of scalp acupuncture in improving neurological dysfunction after ischemic stroke: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Scalp acupuncture is remarkable in improving neurological dysfunction of ischemic stroke patients. This study aims to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of scalp acupuncture in improving neurological dysfunction of ischemic stroke patients. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials of scalp acupuncture against ischemic stroke patients will be searched in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, the Chongqing VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, Chinese Biological and Medical database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang database from inception to July, 2020. Two researchers will perform data extraction and risk of bias assessment independently. Statistical analysis will be conducted in RevMan 5.3. RESULTS: This study will summarize the present evidence by exploring the efficacy and safety of scalp acupuncture in improving neurological dysfunction in ischemic stroke patients. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the study will help to determine potential benefits of scalp acupuncture against ischemic stroke at different stage. OSF REGISTRATION NUMBER: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/T26P8.