Researchers examined 306 randomized controlled trials published between 2020 and 2024 that involved patients with acute stroke. These studies compared traditional Chinese medicine or Chinese herbal medicines against Western medicine treatments. The main goal was to see how often each group used standard ways to measure success and safety.
The analysis showed that only 10 of the Chinese herbal medicine trials defined a primary outcome measure, while 78 Western medicine trials did so. Furthermore, safety outcome measures were reported in 84% of Western medicine trials but only about 50% of Chinese herbal medicine trials. This difference highlights a significant inconsistency in how these studies are structured.
Because the studies did not always use the same core measures, it is difficult to directly compare the results. The review notes that a lack of guidance on standard outcome sets for these treatments may lead to neglected primary outcomes. Readers should understand that this review offers recommendations for improving future trial designs rather than proving one treatment is better than the other.