Article type
Abstract
Background and objective
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is widely used in China; the government has prioritized some dominant diseases/conditions in TCM. However, the definition of the dominant diseases/conditions has not been officially agreed upon. We aimed to clarify the definition, and we summarize the selection approach by describing the current status of the diseases/conditions by TCM based on principles of evidence-based medicine and health technology assessment.
Methods
We searched websites of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, various associations, and databases including CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, Sinomed, and PubMed to include relevant documents on policies, guidelines, and studies of priority diseases/condition by TCM. The data were extracted, compared, and qualitatively described by 2 authors.
Results
Six hundred twenty-eight documents including 16 policies, 522 guidelines, and 90 studies were retrieved. For diseases, TCM might have advantages (in terms of effects, safety, economy, compliance, patient preferences, etc.) in treating specific types, stages, or symptoms of disease or could play as alternatives for those diseases that lack treatment or could reduce the toxic and side effects of conventional medicine. Since 2018, 354 diseases/conditions have been issued by the authorities, covering various diseases such as internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, gynecology, dermatology, neurology, psychiatry, and other fields. The selection approach included determining the scope of diseases/conditions, selection and assessment, expert consensus, and public solicitation.
Conclusion
This survey tries to clarify the definition and scope of priority of diseases/conditions by TCM. Evidence-based assessment, health technology assessment, human experience, expert consensus, whether to include in the national essential medicine list and medical insurance reimbursement list, economic assessment, and the weighing of pros and cons may influence the selection of diseases/conditions. We provided Chinese experience for prioritizing diseases/conditions by traditional medicine.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is widely used in China; the government has prioritized some dominant diseases/conditions in TCM. However, the definition of the dominant diseases/conditions has not been officially agreed upon. We aimed to clarify the definition, and we summarize the selection approach by describing the current status of the diseases/conditions by TCM based on principles of evidence-based medicine and health technology assessment.
Methods
We searched websites of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, various associations, and databases including CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, Sinomed, and PubMed to include relevant documents on policies, guidelines, and studies of priority diseases/condition by TCM. The data were extracted, compared, and qualitatively described by 2 authors.
Results
Six hundred twenty-eight documents including 16 policies, 522 guidelines, and 90 studies were retrieved. For diseases, TCM might have advantages (in terms of effects, safety, economy, compliance, patient preferences, etc.) in treating specific types, stages, or symptoms of disease or could play as alternatives for those diseases that lack treatment or could reduce the toxic and side effects of conventional medicine. Since 2018, 354 diseases/conditions have been issued by the authorities, covering various diseases such as internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, gynecology, dermatology, neurology, psychiatry, and other fields. The selection approach included determining the scope of diseases/conditions, selection and assessment, expert consensus, and public solicitation.
Conclusion
This survey tries to clarify the definition and scope of priority of diseases/conditions by TCM. Evidence-based assessment, health technology assessment, human experience, expert consensus, whether to include in the national essential medicine list and medical insurance reimbursement list, economic assessment, and the weighing of pros and cons may influence the selection of diseases/conditions. We provided Chinese experience for prioritizing diseases/conditions by traditional medicine.