Effect of acupuncture treatment on cognitive impairment after traumatic brain injury in adults: A protocol for systematic review

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture has been widely used to treat cognitive impairment after traumatic brain injury (TBI). But its efficiency has not been scientifically and methodically evaluated. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficiency and safety of the acupuncture treatment for cognitive impairment after TBI in adults. METHODS: This protocol of systematic review will be conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols. We will conduct the literature searching in the following electronic databases: the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, Springer, the Chinese Science Citation Database (CSCD), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Wanfang, and the Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP). The time limit for retrieving studies is from establishment to November 2021 for each database. All published randomized controlled trials related to this review will be included. Review Manager (V.5.3.5) will be implemented for the assessment of bias risk and data analyses. The selection of the studies, data abstraction, and validations will be performed independently by 2 researchers. RESULTS: This review will assess the clinical efficacy and safety, as well as the acupoints characteristics of acupuncture on CI of TBI in adults. CONCLUSION: This review will summarize the current evidence of acupuncture on CI of TBI outcomes and provide guidance for clinicians and patients to select acupuncture for CI of TBI in adults. TRAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER: This protocol of systematic review has been registered on INPLASY website (No. INPLASY2021110113).