ObjectiveTo provide a scoping review of the clinical studies of acupuncture on Alzheimer' s disease (AD). MethodsThe CNKI, WanFang Data, VIP, CBM, Web of Science, PubMed, EMbase, Cochrane Library databases, and ClinicalTrials.gov, ChiCTR clinical trial registration systems were searched to collect clinical studies on acupuncture treatment of AD from inception to May 14, 2022. Scope review method was used to summarize and analyze the publication year trend, type, degree of disease, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome differentiation, sample size, treatment plan, intervention time, and outcome. ResultsA total of 226 clinical original research were included. This field emerged in 1995 and has been increasing. The main type of clinical research was randomized controlled trials. 56 studies paid attention to the severity of AD. Only 54 studies classified AD according to different criteria of TCM syndrome differentiation. There were only 4 studies with large sample size (>200 cases). Conventional acupuncture was the main intervention method in clinical research, with a total of 129 articles. Electroacupuncture was the main special acupuncture method, a total of 31 articles. More than 70 % of the studies had a course of intervention between 84 and 168 days. Among the 12 types of outcome indicators, cognitive function, clinical efficiency, activity function evaluation, cerebrospinal fluid and blood biomarkers, and adverse reactions were the most concerned outcomes. However, less attention was paid to neuropsychiatric symptoms and quality of life in AD patients. Acupuncture could improve the cognitive function of AD patients, but the current clinical related mechanism research was shallow, and the acupuncture point selection was also more diverse. ConclusionThe clinical research of acupuncture in AD has formed a scale, but the current research type is single. The clinical research design schemes are various but not yet unified, and there is a lack of relevant authoritative TCM standards.
ObjectiveConduct a scoping review of medical student competency assessment research to provide a reference for constructing a scientific, practical, and feasible assessment system. MethodsThe search was conducted in CNKI, SinoMed, WanFang Data, PubMed, Web of Science and Embase databases. The time limit was set from the inception to June 2025. A scope review was conducted based on Arksey and O’Malley’s framework of scope definition review methods. ResultsA total of 31 studies were included, involving 13 theoretical, 6 empirical, and 12 mixed-methods. These studies reported on mainstream competency assessment methods in medical education, such as the objective structured clinical examination, 360-degree evaluation, mini-clinical assessment (MCA), multiple-choice questions (MCQs), and direct observation of procedural skills. Studies on competency model construction primarily used the Miller pyramid, Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives, and the current physician competency consensus as core theoretical frameworks. Mixed research methods, such as literature analysis, behavioral event interviews, the Delphi method, and questionnaire surveys, were frequently employed. Domestic competency models primarily focused on "knowledge, skills, and professionalism" as core indicator elements, with the five-point Likert scale being the predominant format for questionnaire items (8 items, 57.1%). Although research reliability validation was relatively well-established, More than half of the studies (7 items, 53.8%) did not report validity metrics. Conclusion While theoretical foundations in competency research are well-established and modeling methodologies are diverse, current assessment methods face limitations, and a lack of uniformity persists in the core elements of competency models. Competency models developed domestically and internationally exhibit significant differences in dimension categorization and item quantity.
Compared with classic systematic reviews, the scoping reviews, mapping reviews and evidence gap maps (EGMs) address broader research questions. Therefore, they are classified into the "big picture review" family. These three types of evidence synthesis have developed rapidly in recent years, but the related concepts are easy to be confused. This article introduces the methodological development process of the three types of evidence synthesis, summarizes the similarities and differences in terms of research purposes and methodology based on the methodological guidelines of the three types of evidence synthesis in the "big picture review" family. The author hopes that this article can help domestic researchers distinguish and identify the three types of evidence synthesis, avoid conceptual confusion, and correctly choose the type of evidence synthesis in the "big picture review" family according to the research purpose.
Objective To conduct a scoping review on the influencing factors of comorbid sleep disorders in adolescents with epilepsy, so as to provide a reference basis for clinical prevention and early intervention. MethodsFollowing the methodological framework of scoping review, relevant studies were systematically searched in PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP Database. The retrieval time limit was from the establishment of each database to April 30, 2025. The included literatures were summarized and analyzed. ResultsA total of 17 literatures were included, and 17 influencing factors related to comorbid sleep disorders in adolescents with epilepsy were identified, which were mainly divided into six categories: demographic factors, characteristics and severity of epilepsy, treatment-related factors, psychiatric comorbidities, organic neurological damage and neurocognitive development and psychosocial and environmental factors. ConclusionSleep disorders are relatively common in adolescents with epilepsy, and their influencing factors are multifaceted.There is a lack of large-sample research on this population in our country, especially the lack of discussion of the causal relationship between influencing factors and sleep disorders, resulting in a lack of basis for early intervention. Future research urgently needs to systematically identify key influencing factors and explore their internal mechanisms through large-sample surveys, so as to lay a solid scientific foundation for the construction of evidence-based intervention programs.
Objective To summarize the current studies of the core outcome set of traditional Chinese medicine (COS-TCM) and analyze their possible problems. Methods The CNKI, WanFang Data, VIP, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were electronically searched to collect studies from inception to April 18, 2023. The relevant characteristics of the included studies were extracted, and the development steps, stakeholders, and outcomes of COS-TCM were analyzed. Results A total of 28 COS-TCM studies were included. Two studies, only published systematic reviews without providing more information, were excluded from the analysis. Among the 26 studies for analysis, 25 studies (96.15%) used a mixture of methods to develop COS-TCM. Clinicians (n=25) were the most common participants, followed by methodologists and patients. Fifteen studies (57.69%) reported measures to help patients better participate. Twelve consensus definitions were found in the included studies, of which 14 studies' consensus definitions were divided into three levels:"consensus in", "consensus out", and "no consensus". Among the 14 studies that reported the final COS-TCM results, only 4 studies recommended Chinese medicine characteristic outcomes. For the measurement of outcomes, 14 studies (53.85%) made plans for the selection of tools. Conclusion The current COS-TCM research has made some progress, and the common developing methods are roughly the same as those nationally used. However, there are still some problems, such as inadequate and low-transparency reports, lack of TCM characteristic outcomes, and so on. We suggest that future COS-TCM studies should refer to COS-STAP, COS-STAR, COS-STAD, and other international standards as well as emphasize the advantages of TCM during development and reporting so that it can improve the transparency of developing methods, research quality, and the proportion of TCM characteristics of the final COS.
ObjectiveTo analyze the development and evolution of the theoretical domains framework (TDF), behavior change wheel (BCW), and behavior change technique (BCT). MethodsThe PubMed, EMbase, EBSCO, Web of Science, CNKI, WanFang Data, VIP and CBM databases were electronically searched to collect related studies on the establishment and development of theoretical frameworks for behavior change from the inception to September 4, 2022. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted the data, and conducted qualitative analysis and summary. ResultsA total of 11 studies were included, and the establishment and development of TDF, BCW and BCT taxonomy was analyzed, integrated and presented in this article. ConclusionTDF, BCW and BCT taxonomy are the fundamental theoretical framework of behavior change, which can be used independently and can be mapped and integrated with each other, providing theoretical guidance for the analysis of obstacles and promoting factors in the implementation of research and the design of intervention measures, with good promotion value. However, there are few domestic applications, so expanding the application in the local environment is necessary.
Objective To summarize and analyze the characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of the current governance framework for public health emergencies in China. Methods The CNKI, VIP, WanFang Data, CBM and PubMed databases were electronically searched to collect studies on the management of major infectious disease outbreaks in China from inception to April 15, 2023. The basic information and governance elements included in the study were extracted and analyzed. Results A total of 30 studies were included, and the time of issuance was from 2020 to 2022. Most of the studies were on COVID-19, focusing on the governance framework of big data governance, holistic governance, and multi-agent collaborative governance. The governance elements were mainly concentrated in three aspects: governance subject, governance cycle and institutional guarantee. The governance entities were concentrated on multi-agent collaborative governance, with the governance cycle mainly focused on in process governance, and the basic guarantee is a multiple guarantee with information technology big data as the main body. Conclusion The governance body of China's major infectious disease epidemic management framework has transitioned from a single entity to a multi entity collaborative governance. While increasing prewarning governance, attention should also be paid to governance during the post recovery period. In terms of system, comprehensive guarantees such as epidemic public opinion control system guarantees, privacy security guarantees, and psychological counseling guarantees should be added.
To conduct a comprehensive review of the current research status and related influencing factors of adolescents with epilepsy participating in transitional care, providing references for future research and clinical practice. Guided by the methodology of the JBI scope review Guidelines, relevant studies in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang Database, VIP Database, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database were systematically retrieved The search period was from the establishment of the database to July 20, 2025, and the included literature was summarized and analyzed. 13 literatures were included, and 18 related factors influencing the participation of adolescents with epilepsy in health care were sorted out. The influencing factors can be summarized into five themes, namely internal individual factors, disease-related factors, psychological and cognitive factors, family system factors, and social support factors. The influencing factors for adolescents with epilepsy to participate in transitional care are diverse. In the future, under the guidance of relevant influencing factors, it is necessary to deeply explore the individual characteristics and needs of adolescents with epilepsy participating in transitional care, provide them with personalized transitional health care services, and enhance their ability to participate in transitional care and disease management.
ObjectiveTo provide a scoping review of the healthcare provider patient-sharing network. MethodsPubMed, EMbase, Scopus, ProQuest, Web of Science Core Collection, ScienceDirect, SAGE, Wiley Online Library, Google Scholar, CNKI and WanFang Data databases were electronically searched to collect studies on patient-sharing network of healthcare providers from inception to July 31, 2021. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and then Arksey and O 'Malley's scoping review method was used to analyze the study. ResultsA total of 110 studies were included. In which, 70.0% were published in 2016 and later, 78.2% were carried out in the United States, 96.4% used secondary data, and 45.5% adopted social network analysis methods such as exponential random graph model. In terms of network characteristics, 43.6% of the studies adopted the theoretical framework of social network theory, and the network node type was mainly 1-mode, accounting for 87.3%. When constructing the physician patient-sharing networks, 64.5% of the studies had a threshold of 1 patient. We also synthesized existing studies on patient-sharing networks of healthcare providers in the light of factors of networks and related outcomes. ConclusionThe studies of healthcare provider patient-sharing network have potentials to improve clinical practice and health policies. Further studies should consider adopting longitudinal design to validate evidence of study, expanding the scope of study subjects except physicians and enriching the evidence of the relationship between network and health-related outcomes.
Informed-evidence decision-making (IEDM) has emerged as the predominant principle of providing guidance for policy-making and practice, however, the best available evidences requisite of performing successfully IEDM. Different forms of evidence and different kinds of review questions call for the development of new approaches that are designed to more effectively and rigorously identify and synthesize the evidence. Fourteen methods of reviewing literature have been recently used to identify and synthesize evidence, of which scoping reviews is increasing popular. This article introduces aspects such as background, purpose and methodological frame work and explains the process of it with an example so that facilitating the dissemination and utilization of scoping review in China.