The effect of acupoint therapy on sleep quality of hemodialysis patients A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Hemodialysis patients usually have sleep disturbance at varying degrees, which seriously affects the therapeutic efficacy and quality of life. Therefore, improving the sleep quality of hemodialysis patients is the key during treatment. Acupoint therapy can improve the sleep quality of patients. However, guidelines for improving sleep quality of hemodialysis patients by acupoint therapy are scant. This study aims to evaluate the effect of acupoint therapy on sleep quality in hemodialysis patients through a meta-analysis, providing clinical evidences. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting the effect of acupoint therapy on sleep quality in hemodialysis patients published before November 2021 will be searched in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Wanfang database, the Chinese Scientific Journal Database, PubMed, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases. Eligible literatures will be screened according to inclusion and exclusion criteria and assessed for quality using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment Tool. Meta-analysis will be performed using Revman 5.4 software. Results: This study will evaluate the effect of acupoint therapy on sleep quality in hemodialysis patients using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Conclusion: This study will provide a reliable evidence-based basis for conducting acupoint therapy to improve sleep quality in hemodialysis patients.