General characteristics of included trials
| Features of included RCTs | Total (n=248,%) | Chinese (n=219,%) | English (n=29,%) |
| No. of authors (median (IQR)) | 3 (2–5) | 5 (4–7.5) | 3 (1–4) |
| Sample size (median (IQR)) | 76 (60–100) | 80 (60–105) | 60 (40–90.5) |
| ≤76* | 126 (50.8) | 105 (47.9) | 21 (72.4) |
| >76 | 122 (49.2) | 114 (52.1) | 8 (27.6) |
| Single versus multicentre study | |||
| Single centre | 230 (92.7) | 202 (92.2) | 28 (96.6) |
| Multicentre | 18 (7.3) | 17 (7.8) | 1 (3.4) |
| Length of follow-up | |||
| ≤4 weeks | 162 (65.3) | 153 (69.9) | 9 (31.0) |
| >4 weeks | 82 (33.1) | 64 (29.2) | 18 (62.1) |
| Unclear | 4 (1.60) | 2 (0.9) | 2 (6.9) |
| Scope of journals | |||
| Acupuncture-related | 58 (23.4) | 48 (21.9) | 10 (34.5) |
| Others (non-acupuncture) | 190 (76.6) | 171 (78.1) | 19 (65.5) |
| Sources of funding | |||
| Non-profit funding agencies | 62 (25.0) | 46 (21.0) | 16 (55.2) |
| Unclear | 186 (75.0) | 173 (79.0) | 13 (44.8) |
*Median.
RCT, randomised controlled trial.