Practitioners’ perspectives on evaluating treatment outcomes in traditional Chinese medicine

BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Research Article

Wei Gao¹  Bao-Yan Liu²  Jun Li³  Jing Lv⁴  Li-Yun He⁵  Yan-Hong Zhang⁵  Ji-Qian Fang⁶ 

[1] Ba Li Zhuang Community Health Service Center, Yanjingxili #11, 100025, Beijing, China;China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, 100700, Beijing, China;China Institute of History and Literature of Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, 100700, Beijing, China;Guang’anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beixiange #5, 100053, Beijing, China;Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Dongzhimennei Nanxiaojie #16, 100700, Beijing, China;School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, 74 Zhongshan Road II, 510080, Guangzhou, China;

关键词: Traditional Chinese medicine;    Treatment outcomes;    Evaluation;    Practitioners;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12906-017-1746-8

 received in 2016-09-29, accepted in 2017-04-20,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThere are no generally accepted standards for evaluation of treatment outcomes in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Pattern differentiation and individual treatments are recognized as the most distinguishing features of TCM. Therefore, how practitioners determine curative effects is an issue worthy of research, though little has been done in this area up to this point. This study examines perceptions of the effectiveness of TCM treatments and the means of evaluating clinical outcomes from the practitioners’ perspective.MethodsQualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews.ResultsA total of nine TCM practitioners from three university-affiliated hospitals and two scientific institutions participated in the interviews in August 2013. Participants reported evaluation of periodical treatment as an important part of the process of individual treatment based on pattern differentiation. Themes included (1) ways of evaluating treatment outcomes; (2) relationships between treatment outcomes and pathological transformation; and (3) distinguishing manifestations of the healing process from true adverse reactions. These considerations helped determine the optional treatment principles for further follow-up. An additional theme emerged related to the characteristics of diagnosis and treatment in TCM.ConclusionsHealth professionals considered all of the following as important ways of evaluating TCM treatment outcomes: patients’ input and subjective experience, physicians’ intake and examination, laboratory tests and medical device measurements. Pathological conditions were determined based on all the above factors, and no single factor determined the effectiveness from the practitioners’ perspectives. If the patients felt no significant beneficial effects, then it was necessary to judge the effectiveness from adverse effect. The follow-up measures were usually based on the previous treatment, and physicians’ satisfaction with each phase of TCM treatment was a significant factor in the process of making further decisions.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2017