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To evaluate the effect of acupoint stimulation compared to other interventions on pain control in neonates who underwent heel lance, we searched for randomized controlled trials across six databases (CINAHL, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Medline, PubMed, and Web of Science) published up to January 2023. Studies comparing acupoint stimulation and other interventions for controlling heel lance pain in neonates were included. These reports measured at least one of the following variables: pain score, crying time, oxygenation saturation, heart rate, respiration rate, and duration of the procedure. The data were independently extracted by two authors, and the PRISMA guidelines for study selection were followed. A total of 79 articles were screened, and 10 studies, with results on 813 neonates, were included in the final selection. The pain scores recorded during the heel lance procedure were not significantly different between the acupoint stimulation cohort and the control cohort (SMD of -0.26, 95% confidence interval (CI) from -0.52 to 0.01; p = 0.06; I 2 = 68%). After processing the subgroup analyses, significant differences were found in the comparisons of acupuncture vs. usual care (SMD of -1.25, 95% CI from -2.23 to 0.27) and acupressure vs. usual care (SMD of -0.62, 95% CI from -0.96 to -0.28); nonsignificant differences were found in other comparisons. Our results demonstrate that acupoint stimulation may improve pain score during the heel lance procedure.

Vaccination is the most effective intervention to prevent infection and subsequent complications from SARS-CoV-2. Because of their multiple comorbidities, the elderly population experienced the highest number of deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic. Although in most countries, older people have top priority for COVID-19 vaccines, their actual willingness and attitudes regarding vaccination are still unclear. Thus, we conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate their willingness, attitudes, awareness, and knowledge of COVID-19 through a web-based questionnaire after the first local outbreak of COVID-19 in Taiwan. A total of 957 questionnaires were completed, and 74.9% of elderly individuals were likely to receive COVID-19 vaccines. The results from a multiple logistic regression demonstrated that older people who need to visit the outpatient department and have a high level of concern about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines are prone to having a negative willingness to accept COVID-19 vaccines. The following items related to awareness of the COVID-19 pandemic were attributed to the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines: "understanding the risk of being infected by SARS-CoV-2", "understanding the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines", "willingness to accept the COVID-19 vaccine for protecting others", and "safety of COVID-19 vaccines is a key factor for you to accept them". Furthermore, a positive association between COVID-19 vaccination and attitudes toward accepting booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine was observed. Our results show that these factors could affect the willingness of older people to accept COVID-19 vaccines and that they are important for policymakers and medical staff to develop vaccination plans during the COVID-19 pandemic.