{
  "abstract": "Background Gastrointestinal disorders are common worldwide and impose substantial socioeconomic burdens. Owing to the limited efficacy and potential adverse effects of conventional treatments, acupuncture has become an increasingly soughtafter complementary therapy. This study aimed to update the evidencebased clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) and summarize current recommendations on acupuncture for gastrointestinal disorders.Methods Comprehensive searches were conducted in major Chinese and English databases, including CNKI, Wanfang, SinoMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and guideline repositories such as GIN, NICE, CMA CPGs, and national health agency platforms from 2020 to October 2025. CPGs containing acupuncture recommendations for gastrointestinal disorders were included. A pre-defined data extraction form was used to capture bibliographic information, methodological characteristics, and specific acupuncture recommendations. Recommendations were categorized by disease type and analyzed in terms of evidence sources, assessment tools, recommendation strength, and acupuncture modalities.Results A total of 32 guidelines related to gastroenterology disorders were included, predominantly from Asia (n = 25, 78.1%) and mainly in Chinese (n = 21, 65.5%). From these guidelines, 88 acupuncturerelated recommendations were extracted; 52.3% (n = 46) were from acupuncturespecific guidelines, and 81.8% (n = 72) were developed using a combination of evidence and expert consensus. GRADE was the most common tool for rating strength (61.4%, n = 54) and evidence quality (70.5%, n = 62). Overall, the evidence quality was low, with only 2.3% (n = 2) rated as high quality. After excluding unclear recommendations, 55 recommendations explicitly supported or opposed acupuncture across 12 gastrointestinal disorders. Support was consistent and stronger for chronic constipation (body acupuncture and electroacupuncture; moderate certainty; multiple strong recommendations). For epigastric fullness, all recommendations were supportive but mostly weak and underpinned by low/insufficient certainty. For irritable bowel syndrome, recommendations were mixed despite numerous RCTs, illustrating crossguideline inconsistency. Variation was also associated with region and guideline type.Conclusions This review collates existing acupuncture recommendations across gastrointestinal disorder CPGs and reveals substantial heterogeneity in direction and strength, influenced by methodological, regional, and contextual factors. Before incorporating these recommendations into local practice, rigorous and contextsensitive adaptation should be undertaken using the GRADE EvidencetoDecision framework to enhance transparency, local applicability, and consistency in acupuncture guidance for gastrointestinal disorders.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong"
      ],
      "name": "Claire Chenwen Zhong"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong"
      ],
      "name": "Carrie Han Li"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong"
      ],
      "name": "Huijuan Li"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong"
      ],
      "name": "Leonard Ho"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong"
      ],
      "name": "Junjie Huang"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong"
      ],
      "name": "Martin Wong"
    }
  ],
  "title": "IDDF2026-ABS-0440 Recommendations on acupuncture for gastrointestinal disorders: a systematic review of clinical practice guidelines",
  "uid": "5f73215f-f707-534f-b779-8cf1a8fec024"
}