Situation Analysis of the clinical outcomes of randomized controlled trials of traditional Chinese medicine intervention in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Objective:To synthesize and appraise the prevailing employment of outcome measures within randomized controlled trials(RCTs)concerning traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)interventions targeting non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD),and to furnish guidance pertinent to the selection of such outcome measures for future clinical investigations.Methods:RCTs about TCM on the treatment of NAFLD in the common databases were screened from Medline,EMbase,Cochrane Library,CNKI,VIP and Wanfang databases.A qualitative analysis described all the outcomes in the included studies.Results:A total of 2 537 related literature were preliminarily screened,and 78 trials were finally included.A total of 78 RCTs and their outcomes were categorized into 6 categories and 15 kinds,including effect evaluation,non-invasive liver examination,biochemical parameters,anthropometric and life quality-related parameters,safety outcome,and other outcomes.Conclusion:There exist numerous challenges in the selection of outcome indicators for RCTs focusing on TCM treatment of NAFLD.To comprehensively assess the multidimensional nature of complex illnesses,it is imperative to draw insights from the methodology employed in creating internationally recognized sets of core outcome indicators.Therefore,it is recommended to develop a core outcome indicator set that aligns with the treatment modalities and efficacy characteristics specific to TCM.