According to the Shennong Ben Cao Jing, Alismatis Rhizoma has tonic properties, however, that is not recorded in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. By reviewing the relevant literature on the efficacy of Alismatis Rhizoma in ancient texts, it was found that before the Song Dynasty, the efficacy of Alismatis Rhizoma included tonic, diuresis, and heat relief. From the Song Dynasty, some medical practitioners questioned the view that Alismatis Rhizoma is a tonic, while the Ming Dynasty medical practitioners believed that the tonic function of Alismatis Rhizoma is derived from its water-relieving effect and that it is not a direct tonic, and the Qing Dynasty medical practitioners believed that the core effect of Alismatis Rhizoma is water-relieving and that tonic is an excessive praise of Alismatis Rhizoma’s effect with no practical clinical significance. By this point, the notion that Alismatis Rhizoma is a tonic has completely dropped out of mainstream traditional Chinese medicine theory. In addition, it was also found that the efficacy of Alismatis Rhizoma in stopping seminal discharge has been documented in medical texts for generations, but not in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia.

Objective     To evaluate the methodological quality of clinical practice guidelines and consensuses of robot-assisted surgery. Methods     The guidelines and consensuses were screened according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria by searching the domestic and overseas guidelines network and electronic database from 1 January, 2000 to 29 December, 2021. The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and EvaluationⅡ (AGREEⅡ) instrument was used independently by two evaluators to evaluate the guidelines and consensuses. The consistency test of intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was carried out for two evaluators, and the score of guidelines and consensuses in the six domains of AGREEⅡ were calculated. Results     A total of 34 guidelines and consensuses were included, including 10 guidelines and 24 consensuses. The ICC was all greater than 0.75, indicating that the consistency of the two evaluators was high. The average scores of the 34 guidelines and consensuses in the six domains of AGREEⅡ (scope and purpose, stakeholder involvement, rigor of development, clarity of presentation, applicability and editorial independence) were 81.0%, 43.5%, 28.2%, 81.5%, 12.7% and 51.7%, respectively. Conclusion     These evaluated guidelines and consensuses of robot-assisted surgery still need to be improved in the domains of rigor of development, applicability and editorial independence. With the continuous development of robot-assisted surgery, more guidelines and consensuses based on higher level of evidence will be developed to promote the standardized use of robot-assisted surgery.