OBJECTIVEThrough comparing the literature on the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture for anxiety in Chinese and English versions, the participants, the interventions and the outcomes of the therapeutic effect evaluation in acupuncture treatment for anxiety were analyzed so as to provide the references to the high quality clinical research in the future.

METHODSThe literature was retrieved on RCTs of acupuncture for anxiety at home and abroad. According to the principles and the methods of the evidence-based medicine, the information on the type of clinical research, participants, interventions and outcomes was extracted and analyzed.

RESULTSA total of 106 valid papers of the Chinese and English versions were collected. In the study at home and abroad, the concepts and recognitions were indistinct among anxiety disorder, anxious emotion and secondary anxiety disorder. The diagnostic criteria were different. Regarding the intervention, the body acupuncture was predominated in the study at home and abroad, focusing on the mind regulation. The acupoints were mainly selected for tranquilizing the mind, promoting the circulation of the governor vessel and removing irritability. Additionally, the auricular acupuncture was often adopted in the treatment of anxious emotion in foreign countries. Regarding the outcomes in the effect evaluation, the scales were not so standardized in the selection and application. The analysis was limited on the factors of the anxiety scales and the survival quality.

CONCLUSIONThere are the differences in the diagnostic criteria, participant inclusion, intervention and outcomes in the clinical research of anxiety treated with acupuncture at home and abroad. A rigorous design is required in the high quality clinical research for the evaluation on the therapeutic effects of acupuncture on anxiety.