Efficacy and safety of auricular therapy in the treatment of post-stroke constipation: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Constipation is one of the common gastrointestinal complications after stroke. It not only aggravates the condition of stroke, but also brings huge medical burden to patients, and has a negative impact on the quality of life of patients. Auricular therapy, as a part of Chinese traditional acupuncture and moxibustion, has been found to be effective in the clinical treatment of constipation. However, no systematic review has investigated the efficacy and safety of auricular therapy in the treatment of post-stroke constipation. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review is to assess the effectiveness and safety of auricular therapy for post-stroke constipation. Methods and analysis: Eight electronic databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library/Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, Embase, China National Knowledge Internet, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Wanfang, and VIP databases, will be searched for relevant studies published from inception to February 2023. Two reviewers will independently conduct research selection, data extraction, and evaluation of research quality. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that assess the efficacy and safety of auricular therapy for the treatment of post-stroke constipation will be included in this study. We will use the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool to evaluate the methodological qualities (including bias risk). If possible, a meta-analysis will be performed after screening. Results: This study may provide high-quality evidence for the efficacy and safety of auricular therapy in treating post-stroke constipation. Conclusion: The conclusions of our study will provide an evidence to judge whether auricular therapy is an effective and safe intervention for patients with post-stroke constipation. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval is not required, as this study was based on a review of published research. This review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and disseminated electronically and in print. Trial registration: Registration number: PROSPERO CRD42023402242.