NICE for Some Interventions, But Not So NICE for Others: Questionable Guidance on Acupuncture for Osteoarthritis and Low-Back Pain

作者：MacPherson Hugh^*

来源：Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2017, 23(4): 247-248.

DOI：10.1089/acm.2017.0029

Editor's Note: In the review process for the article in this issue on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Guideline for osteoarthritis of the knee, a media release on a separate acupuncture guideline from NICE made me wonder more broadly about what is going on with that agency. The commentary on the osteoarthritis guideline, from an international group led by Stephen Birch, PhD, LicAc, MBA, examines the NICE process and raises significant public health questions related to NICE's failure to include acupuncture. The subsequent media release on a more recent NICE guideline for low-back pain, similarly made no recommendation for value from acupuncture. I noted that the two had something in common. The authors of the osteoarthritis piece thanked JACM Editorial Board member Hugh MacPherson, PhD, MBAcC, for his comments on their work, whereas the media release centered on commentary from the same, internationally respected researcher. This commentary from MacPherson was invited to examine what may be common in NICE methods that led to these exclusionary decisions. Are these cases of frank bias?

• 出版日期2017-4