The efficacy and safety of Chinese massage in the treatment of acute mastitis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND: The incidence of acute mastitis (AM) in lactating women has been increasing year by year. If there is no timely and appropriate treatment, AM may develop into mammary abscess and septicemia. This special situation has aroused social attention. Chinese massage has been widely used in the treatment of AM in recent years, but there is no systematic review of the effect of Chinese massage on AM. We plan to explore the efficacy and safety of Chinese massage in the treatment of AM. METHODS: We will use a computer to search the following 8 electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, Embase, Sinomed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chongqing VIP Information, WanFang Data) on November 30, 2021. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) of Chinese massage therapy for AM were screened. Primary outcome measure: overall clinical response rate, breast pain score. Secondary outcome measures: milk secretion, temperature, mass size and time to resolution, White blood cell count, C-reactive protein, and the incidence of adverse reactions. According to the inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria, the included literature will be independently evaluated by two researchers using the RCT bias risk assessment tool in the Cochrane evaluation manual Handbook5.4, and meta-analysis will be performed by RevMan5.4 software. Funnel plots were used to analyze whether the study had publication bias. RESULTS: We will evaluate the clinical effect of Chinese massage therapy on AM based on RCTs CONCLUSION: This study will provide evidence-based evidence for the effectiveness and safety of Chinese massage in the treatment of AM. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY2021120019.