search, as well as the Department’s call for evidence, will not be limited by language of publication. Databases in languages other than English will not be searched, however, studies in languages other than English may be identified via the English language databases. For pragmatic reasons, potentially eligible studies will not undergo full text translation or data extraction, but will be documented via a process outlined in Section 3.3.1 ‘Studies published in languages other than English’. 3.1.2 Types of participants People of any age with any injury, disease, medical condition or preclinical condition are eligible for inclusion. This includes disease prevention in at-risk healthy populations, which is broadly defined as those who are at increased risk of becoming ill or injured based on social, biomedical or behavioural risk factors (42). For the purposes of this review, social risk factors include income, education, employment and social support; biomedical factors include a person’s age, genetic make-up, and health status (such as obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, vitamin deficiency); and behavioural factors include a person’s lifestyle choices (e.g. alcohol consumption, diet, exercise, tobacco and other drug use, etc.). Healthy participants seeking health improvement, such as general wellbeing, fitness, aesthetic improvements, resilience and cognitive or emotional intelligence are not eligible for inclusion; however, a study with eligible and ineligible populations will be included if separate data are available for the eligible population/s. 3.1.3 Types of interventions Intervention: shiatsu All styles and forms of massage described as shiatsu or a type of shiatsu are eligible for inclusion. Other components of practice used by shiatsu therapists in Australia (such as moxibustion, cupping, self-acupressure, oriental diet, corrective exercises, lifestyle, relaxation, breathing techniques and meditation) are only included if they are delivered in the context of whole-system/multi-component shiatsu therapy. Shiatsu may be individualised according to a traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis or a predetermined standardised intervention for a specific condition/problem. Research Protocol HTANALYSTS | NHMRC | EVIDENCE EVALUATION ON THE CLINICAL EFFECTIVENESS OF SHIATSU 19 Terminology specific to the Japanese language is not used in the standardised nomenclature (16). Therefore, studies using other traditional oriental terms to describe the intervention are also included in the review. This includes, but is not limited to, shiatsu massage, Anma (or Amna) massage, An mo massage, Tsubo (acupoint) therapy. Studies described as ‘Traditional Japanese massage’ or ‘Japanese massage’ will be included where the description of the intervention is consistent with the definition of shiatsu. There are no limits on intensity, duration of intervention or mode of delivery and studies will be included irrespective of whether the intervention is delivered by a certified practitioner or not. To allow for potential subgroup analysis (and to inform decision-making), studies will be stratified based on the style or form of shiatsu massage delivered (see Section 3.3.15). Restrictions: Therapies that are described as Tuina (or tui na) or other styles of massage or manual therapies (e.g. Korean massage, traditional Chinese massage, remedial massage, Swedish massage etc.) are excluded. Interventions that include high-velocity joint manipulation or oils are excluded, as these components are not consistent with shiatsu practice in Australia. Studies only evaluating component interventions, such as acupressureb , moxibustion, cupping and meridian exercises, will be excluded. Intervention: acupressure All forms of acupressure, applied to traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture (tsubo) points, are eligible for inclusion. The acupressure can be either individualised (i.e. delivered according to a traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis or a predetermined condition/problem) or non-individualised (i.e., delivered to predetermined acupressure points for a specific condition/symptom) and can be applied by a therapist to specific points using a finger, hand, elbow, or foot. The acupressure can also be self-administered or delivered by a lay caregiver and/or via an acupressure band or large bead as a replacement for finger pressure. Studies in which the acupoint is stimulated by needles or other techniques (i.e. by pressure/laser or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) are not eligible for inclusion. There are no limits on intensity, or duration of intervention and studies will be included irrespective of whether the intervention is delivered by a certified acupressure or shiatsu practitioner or not. Studies that include acupressure delivered alongside shiatsu massage and/or as a component of what is described as whole-system shiatsu therapy will be considered in the shiatsu component of the review (see Section 3.3.11). SRs that consider a broader question than intended for this review (e.g. assesses the effectiveness of acupressure among other interventions) will be included if the SR specifically assesses the effectiveness of acupressure independent of the other included interventions. If only a subset of studies contained within the SR meet the eligibility criteria for this review, then only those eligible primary studies as reported in the SR will be considered (see Section 3.3.11). Restrictions: