Comparative efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese patent medicine for endometriosis: A Bayesian network meta-analysis protocol

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is a common disease of women of childbearing age. In recent years, the incidence of endometriosis has been on the rise. The main clinical manifestations are pelvic pain and infertility. In recent years, traditional Chinese patent medicine (TCMP) has played an important role in the treatment of endometriosis. So far, there is a lack of comparison among all the current common TCPMs for endometriosis. Consequently, it is indispensable to propose a network meta-analysis (NMA) protocol to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of different TCMPs. METHODS: We will comprehensively and systematically retrieve the relevant Chinese and English databases from their inceptions to the May 2019. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of TCMPs for Endometriosis will be included. Two researchers will independently screen literature, extract data and assess the risk of bias of included studies. We will conduct pairwise meta-analyses and Bayesian network meta-analyses to assess all the available evidence. Data will be analyzed using STATA and WinBUGS software. RESULTS: This work will compare and rank the relative efficacy of different TCPMs in the treatment of endometriosis in detail. CONCLUSION: The results of this study will provide reliable evidence for the selection of clinical treatment program and guideline development. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42019127781.