This article reviews the status of acupuncture-moxibustion clinical practice guidelines (CPGs), and discovers that during the formulation of acupuncture-moxibustion CPGs, the developers not only face the evidence dilemma, but also pay less attention to the disciplinary characteristics of acupuncture-moxibustion, which affects the clinical guidance of acupuncture-moxibustion CPGs. To solve these problems, this article presents the determination methods of clinical questions in acupuncture-moxibustion CPGs, the transformation and application methods in guidelines of clinical experiences of ancient and modern acupuncturists, and the methodological suggestions related to the consensus process of forming the treatment protocols. In the future, the aspects which should be taken into account during the development of acupuncture-moxibustion CPGs and disciplines include the construction of the "evidence system" conformed to the characteristics of acupuncture-moxibustion, the standardization of the consensus process of CPGs and the establishment of a promotion system of research achievements conformed to the characteristics of acupuncture-moxibustion.

clinical practice guideline  /  acupuncture-moxibustion  /  clinical problem  /  recommendation  /  clinical experience of ancient and modern physicians