OA03.04. An assessment of the effectiveness of acupuncture for the Trauma Spectrum Response: results of a rapid evidence assessment of the literature (REAL)

Purpose Exposure to deployment, combat, and other traumatic events can induce a spectrum of physical, cognitive, psychological and behavioral effects. This constellation has been termed the “Trauma Spectrum Response” (TSR) and includes depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), sleep disturbances, substance abuse, cognition, headache, pain, and spirituality. Acupuncture has been shown to effectively treat such symptoms as headache, insomnia, stress, anxiety, depression, and perceived pain. While many literature reviews on acupuncture have been published, their conclusions are often difficult to interpret, inconsistent or contradictory. Thus, in order to comprehensively assess acupuncture’s effectiveness across these symptoms, a rapid evidence assessment of the literature (REAL) was conducted to rigorously and systematically assess the quantity and quality of the existing systematic reviews/meta-analyses to gauge the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating the various components of TSR.