2001/06/01 by Klaus Linde, Wayne B. Jonas, Dieter Melchart +1 · 2 citations
Decision Sciences · Medicine · #Complementary and Alternative Medicine Studies #Herbal Medicine Research Studies #Meta-analysis and systematic reviews
paper · pdf · doi:10.1093/ije/30.3.526
openalex publication_date 2001/06/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
Background To investigate the methodological quality of randomized controlled trials in three areas of complementary medicine. Methods The methodological quality of 207 randomized trials collected for five previously published systematic reviews on homeopathy, herbal medicine (Hypericum for depression, Echinacea for common cold), and acupuncture (for asthma and chronic headache) was assessed using a validated scale (the Jadad scale) and single quality items. Results While the methodological quality of the trials was highly variable, the majority had important shortcomings in reporting and/or methodology. Major problems in most trials were the description of allocation concealment and the reporting of drop-outs and withdrawals. There were relevant differences in single quality components between the different complementary therapies: For example, acupuncture trials reported adequate allocation concealment less often (6% versus 32% of homeopathy and 26% of herb trials), and trials on herbal extracts had better summary scores (mean score 3.12 versus 2.33 for homeopathy and 2.19 for acupuncture trials). Larger trials published more recently in journals listed in Medline and in English language scored significantly higher than trials not meeting these criteria. Conclusion Trials of complementary therapies often have relevant methodological weaknesses. The type of weaknesses varies considerably across interventions. KEY MESSAGES Aspects of the methodological quality of 207 randomized trials of homeopathy, herbal medicines, and acupuncture were reviewed. The majority of trials had important shortcomings; major problems were the reporting of allocation concealment and the reporting and handling of drop-outs and withdrawals. The extent of specific quality problems differed considerably between the different areas. Larger trials published more recently in journals listed in Medline and in English language had better methodological quality.