Acupoint herbal patching for bronchitis A protocol systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Background: Acupoint herbal patching (AHP) is widely used for symptom management in patients with acute and chronic bronchitis. The purpose of this protocol review is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of AHP for the treatment of bronchitis. Methods and analysis: This protocol of systematic review will be conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P). The databases searched will include PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, Web of Science, 3 Korean medical databases (OASIS, Korea Med, and KMBASE), and the Chinese database China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-RCTs using AHP for bronchitis will be considered. The selection of the studies, data abstraction, and validations will be performed independently by 3 researchers. Conclusion: The conclusion of the review will provide evidence that AHP is an effective intervention in patients with bronchitis. Ethics and dissemination: As individuals were not involved, ethical approval is not required. Findings will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. This systematic review may inform the treatment of bronchitis patients in clinical practice.