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Table 1 Checklist of items for reporting trials of cupping

From: Standards for reporting interventions in clinical trials of cupping (STRICTOC): extending the CONSORT statement

No.

Item

Detail

1

Cupping rationale

1a. Style of cupping (e.g., Chinese medicine, dry cupping, wet cupping, etc.)

1b. Reasoning for cupping provided, based on historical context, literature sources, and/or consensus methods, with references where appropriate

1c. Whether the cupping treatment is individualized or not

2

Details of cupping

2a. Patient posture during the cupping

2b. Devices used for cupping, such as type of cupping set, size, manufacturer, and material (e.g., herbal, needle, moxa, water) inside the cup, if any

  

2c. Name and number of acupoints/meridians/locations (if no official name) used for cupping

2d. Number of cupping units and/or cupping time per location (mean or range where relevant)

2e. Procedure and technique for cupping (e.g., weak/light cupping, medium cupping, strong cupping, moving cupping, light-moving cupping, needle cupping, hot needle and moxa cupping, empty/flash cupping, bleeding/wet/full cupping, herbal cupping, water cupping and ice cupping)

2f. Responses sought from participants (e.g., warm feeling, skin reddening, ring mark, etc.)

2g. Precautionary measures to adverse events (e.g., skin blister, scald, or bleeding), and management, if any

3

Treatment regimen

Number, frequency and duration of the cupping sessions

4

Other components of treatment

4a. Details of other interventions administered to the cupping group (e.g., acupuncture, moxibustion, massage, herbs, exercises, lifestyle advice)

4b. Setting and instruction of treatment to the cupping providers and the participants

5

Treatment provider background

Description of treatment provider(s) (qualification or professional affiliation, years in cupping practice, and other relevant experience for professional)

6

Control or comparator of cupping

6a. Rationale for the choice of control or comparator of cupping

6b. Precise description of the control or comparator. If another form of cupping or cupping-like control is used, provide details as for Items 1 to 3 above

  1. This STRICTOC checklist, which should be read in conjunction with the explanations of each item provided in the main text, is designed to extend CONSORT 2010’s item 5 when reporting a cupping trial