Objective: To describe the characteristics of Vietnamese studies on catgut embedding therapy for non-organic insomnia and to identify evidence gaps that require further investigation.
Methods: This scoping review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR framework. Full-text Vietnamese-language articles on catgut embedding therapy for non-organic insomnia published in Vietnam from May 2016 to May 2026 were searched in the Vietnam Scientific and Technological Publications Database, supplemented by additional searches on Google Scholar. Data were synthesized using a descriptive qualitative approach.
Results: A total of nine records were identified, of which five articles met the eligibility criteria. The included studies were mainly small-scale clinical intervention studies, in which catgut embedding therapy was used as monotherapy, compared with electroacupuncture, or combined with other traditional medicine methods. Commonly used outcome measures included sleep latency, sleep duration, sleep quality, and PSQI scores. Most studies reported improvements in sleep-related outcomes after treatment; however, study designs, intervention protocols, and safety reporting were heterogeneous.
Conclusion: Preliminary evidence from Vietnamese studies suggests that catgut embedding therapy may help improve several sleep-related outcomes in patients with non-organic insomnia. However, further clinical studies with more rigorous designs, larger sample sizes, standardized treatment protocols, and more comprehensive safety reporting are needed.
Keywords: Catgut embedding therapy, insomnia, non-organic insomnia, sleep disorders