Integrative and Complementary Practices to Control Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review Protocol

Abstract

\n BackgroundThe stages of pregnancy are accompanied by several biopsychosocial changes, among them are nausea and vomiting, which are often associated with negative feelings, in addition to generating physical impacts and impacts on the maternal quality of life. In this scenario, the Integrative and Complementary Practices (ICPs) are inserted as a potential treatment to control nausea and vomiting in this public. This review aims to synthesize the available evidence in the literature on the effects of integrative and complementary practices in the treatment of nausea and vomiting in pregnant women. MethodThe review will include only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that examine the effects of ICPs versus placebo, routine treatment, or pharmacological intervention for the control of nausea and vomiting in healthy pregnant women. The outcomes of interest are those related to nausea and vomiting and possible adverse effects of the intervention. A search for studies will be carried out in the following databases: MEDLINE via PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, CENTRAL, ICTRP, LILACS, CUMED, IBECS, Web of Science, Scopus, CNKI, the World Health Organization’s International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) and ReBEC until July 31, 2021. There will be no restrictions on the publication year or language of the manuscripts. The texts will be evaluated in their entirety, after which they will be selected, the data of interest will be extracted, and the risk of bias and quality of evidence will be evaluated. The entire selection process will be carried out by two independent reviewers and a third reviewer will be available in case of disagreement. In the event that a meta-analysis can be conducted, it will evaluate interventions for the absolute difference between averages and potential heterogeneity. If the data are deemed inadequate for a meta-analysis, a systematic narrative synthesis will be carried out. This protocol was proposed based on the preferred reporting item guidelines for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P). DiscussionThe results of this systematic review will robustly fill this knowledge gap and possibly assist in evidence-based practices provided for pregnant women experiencing nausea and vomiting.Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42020221570