Analysis of Recent Trends in Clinical Research Publications on Acupuncture and Moxibustion Studies

침구 임상연구 논문동향 분석

Objective : This study was aimed to review the trend of clinical research articles of acupuncture and moxibustion from the year of 1995 to 2006. Methods : The retrieving and analyzing period were from January 1995 to July 2006. Articles were collected by retrieving Pubmed database. Search terms were as follows; 'Acupuncture', 'Acupuncture & Meridian', 'Moxibustion'. After reviewing articles by our pre-defined criteria, Correlation was assessed qualitatively between contents of the final selected articles and those of Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine. Results : The number of acupuncture research articles have increased with higher rate since the year of 2000. In the field of medical devices, the articles were sparsely existed. The percentage of clinical acupuncture research articles was 75%. However, in the category of Korean investigators' researches, it was 46%. Publications by Korean investigators were concentrated to several specific journals of which their impact factor were below 1 point. Conclusion : There needs more qualifying studies in acupuncture studies which are represented by impact factor in Journal Citation Reports. It is necessary to research and develop the medical devices quantatively rating the outcome of acupuncture trials. The secondary research, such as, systematic reviews, meta-analysis, would be a key approach to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture treatments. Moxibustion research would be noticeable in regard to its historical effectiveness and its variable indications.