Vincent C, Lewith G
Academic Department of Psychiatry, St Mary's Hospital Medical School, London, UK.
J R Soc Med. 1995 Apr;88(4):199-202.
Many studies of acupuncture treatment are seriously flawed by methodological problems. Poor design, inadequate measures and statistical analysis, lack of follow-up data and sub-standard treatment are all too common. However, the major problem, which many investigators consider to be still unresolved, is the definition of an appropriate placebo control. The use of inappropriate placebo controls has bedeviled acupuncture research and led to serious misinterpretation of the results of clinical trials. While a number of different solutions have been proposed there is, as yet, no agreed way of assessing the adequacy of control conditions or of deciding which placebo to use in a particular trial. We propose that assessing the credibility of treatments and control conditions may provide a way forward to a more rigorous, consensus approach.
许多关于针灸治疗的研究存在严重的方法学问题。设计不佳、测量和统计分析不足、缺乏随访数据以及治疗不达标等情况屡见不鲜。然而，许多研究者认为仍未解决的主要问题是合适的安慰剂对照的定义。使用不恰当的安慰剂对照困扰着针灸研究，并导致对临床试验结果的严重误解。虽然已经提出了一些不同的解决方案，但目前尚无评估对照条件是否充分或确定在特定试验中使用哪种安慰剂的公认方法。我们建议，评估治疗方法和对照条件的可信度可能为采用更严谨、达成共识的方法指明方向。
