Clinical practice guidelines of Korean medicine on acupuncture and herbal medicine for atopic dermatitis: A GRADE approach

IntroductionAtopic dermatitis (AD) is a type of chronic, recurrent inflammatory skin disorder that is emerging as a major healthcare problem in Korea. We aimed to develop clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for AD and to provide recommendations for the diagnosis and management of AD on acupuncture and herbal medicine supported by both evidence and data related to the disease.MethodsAn expert group was convened to establish the most efficient system of clinical care based on the use of acupuncture and herbal medicine administered as part of Korean Medicine (KM) for the treatment of AD by drawing on a vast and diverse corpus of clinical data, with the goal of eventually establishing a foundation for evidence-based KM. This expert group devised a plan to publish clinical guidelines and collected and analysed currently available evidence for the development of the CPG.ResultsSix recommendations were developed for the treatment of AD on acupuncture and herbal medicine. Four of the recommendations were primarily related to herbal medicine, and two were related to acupuncture.ConclusionWe developed CPG for AD using evidence-based medicine. This work is expected to lay the groundwork for a high-quality, follow-up clinical study on KM and to establish a foundation for a domestic KM group to assume the lead in the standardization of KM, thereby supporting international research.