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| Items | Content |
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| Title | Types of acupuncture practice and AEs (or complications) should be included in the title. |
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| Authors | Acupuncture specialists need to be included among the authors. |
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| Description for the patient |
| Demographic data | Sex, age, ethnicity, and residence need to be described. |
| Preceding conditions or reasons for seeking acupuncture | The patient’s diseases or symptoms for seeking acupuncture treatment should be described for assessing appropriateness of acupuncture. |
| Description on the risk factors for AEs (or complications) | Patient’s underlying conditions or cointerventions which might be related to AEs (or complications) need to be declared. |
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| Details of acupuncture intervention [37] |
| Acupuncture practitioner’s type | Certification, education status, and clinical experience level need to be declared. |
| Needling sites (acupuncture points) | Location and number of points for acupuncture or needling need to be described in detail using WHO standard acupuncture point locations guideline [38]. |
| Usage of disposable, sterile needles | Usage of disposable, sterile needles should be assessed and reported. |
| Depth of insertion | Depth and direction of needle insertion should be suggested. |
| Needle type | Length, diameter, material, and manufacturer of acupuncture needles should be declared. |
| Stimulation method | Stimulation method for acupuncture including manual, electric stimulation, or other stimulating methods needs to be reported. |
| Acupuncture settings | Medical institutions or conditions of the physician’s office need to be suggested. |
| Disinfection procedure | Detailed disinfection measure before and after acupuncture should be reported in detail. |
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| Description for the AEs (or complications) |
| Time relation between acupuncture and AEs (or complications) | Time line of acupuncture treatment and the occurrence of AE (or complication) symptoms should be suggested clearly. |
| Explanation on the association between needling site and affected lesion | Relationship between needling site and affected lesion should be evaluated appropriately. |
| Features of AEs (or complications) | Information on the clinical presentation of AEs (or complications) needs to be suggested sufficiently to assess the causality between acupuncture and the event. |
| Laboratory or pathological findings | Laboratory or pathological findings related to the AEs (or complications) should be suggested. |
| Consideration of the other possible causes of AEs (or complications) | Based on the preceding risk factors, other treatments, assessment of acupuncture appropriateness, and other possible causes of AEs (complications) should be evaluated fairly and scientifically. |
| Appraisal for the appropriateness of acupuncture | Appropriateness of acupuncture practice appraised based on the information about acupuncture intervention, procedure, settings, and disinfection method should be reported. |
| Causality assessment | Causality category according to the WHO-UMC criteria needs to be suggested based on the clear reason for the decision [39]. |
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| Discussion and conclusion |
| Previous evidence on the AEs (or complications) related to acupuncture | Previous case reports or literature with rigorous evidence on the current AEs (or complications) needs to be reported. |
| Conclusion | Conclusion should be written based on the results of the appraisal for the appropriateness of acupuncture practice and causality between acupuncture and the event in a neutral position. |
| Clinical implication | Preventive measures against current acupuncture-related infection need to be suggested based on the analysis of appropriateness of acupuncture for future safe practice. |
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