Traditional Chinese medicine formula Xiaoqinglong decoction for cough caused by COVID-19: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Assessing the effectiveness and safety of Traditional Chinese medicine formula Xiaoqinglong decoction for cough caused by COVID-19 is the main purpose of this systematic review protocol. METHODS: The following electronic databases will be searched from their respective inception dates to October 1, 2020: PubMed, MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, Embase, WorldSciNet, Ovid, the Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, the Web of Science, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Chongqing VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database (VIP), the Wanfang Database, and the China Biology Medicine Disc. All published randomized controlled trials in English or Chinese related to Traditional Chinese medicine formula Xiaoqinglong decoction for cough caused by COVID-19 will be included. The primary outcome is the time and rate of appearance of coughing. The secondary outcomes are the length of hospital stay. Two reviewers will conduct the study selection, data extraction, and assessment independently. The assessment of risk of bias and data synthesis will be conducted with RevMan V.5.2. RESULTS: The results will provide a high-quality synthesis of current evidence for researchers in this subject area. CONCLUSION: The conclusion of our study will provide an evidence to judge whether traditional Chinese medicine formula Xiaoqinglong decoction is an effective intervention for patients with cough caused by COVID-19. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Formal ethical approval is not necessary as the data cannot be individualized. The results of this protocol will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal or presented at relevant conferences. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020202079.