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Harnett JE, Desselle SP, Fernandes MB, Yao D, Modun D, Hallit S, Dabbous M, Wahab MSA, Cavaco AM, Magalhães M, Faller EM, Flores JM, Gabriel JRDS, Othman N, Anantachoti P, Sriboonruang T, Sriviriyanupap W, Alnezary F, Alahmadi Y, Fallatah SB, Fadil HA, Ung COL. Defining and supporting a professional role for pharmacists associated with traditional and complementary medicines: a cross-country survey of pharmacists. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1215475. [PMID: 37654614 PMCID: PMC10467277 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1215475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: An estimated 80% of the world's population use traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) products as part of their healthcare, with many accessed through pharmacy. This cross-cultural study posed a set of professional practice responsibilities and actions to pharmacists related to T&CM products, with a view toward developing consensus, safeguarding, and promoting the health of the public. Methods: Data were collected from 2,810 pharmacists across nine countries during 2022 via a cross-sectional online survey reported in accordance with the guidelines of STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) and the Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES). Results: Of the 2,810 participants from nine countries, 2,341 completed all sections of the survey. Of these, most agreed (69%) that T&CM product use was common in the community they served, but most did not have adequate training to support consumer needs. Over 75% acknowledged that there were known and unknown safety risks associated with T&CM use. Of 18 professional responsibilities posed, 92% agreed that pharmacists should be able to inform consumers about potential risks, including T&CM side effects and drug-herb interactions. The provision of accurate scientific information on the effectiveness of T&CM products, skills to guide consumers in making informed decisions, and communication with other healthcare professionals to support appropriate and safe T&CM product use were all ranked with high levels of agreement. In order to effectively fulfill these responsibilities, pharmacists agreed that regulatory reforms, development of T&CM education and training, and access to quality products supported by high-quality evidence were needed. Conclusion: General agreement from across nine countries on eighteen professional responsibilities and several stakeholder actions serve as a foundation for the discussion and development of international T&CM guidelines for pharmacists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna E. Harnett
- School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Shane P. Desselle
- Touro University California College of Pharmacy, Vallejo, CA, United States
| | - Marcília Baticy Fernandes
- Departamento de Ciências da Saúde, Ambiente e Tecnologias, Universidade de Santiago, Assomada, Cabo Verde
| | - Dongning Yao
- School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Darko Modun
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia
| | - Souheil Hallit
- School of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Jounieh, Lebanon
- Applied Science Research Center, Applied Science Private University, Amman, Jordan
- Research Department, Psychiatric Hospital of the Cross, Jal Eddib, Lebanon
| | - Mariam Dabbous
- School of Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Mohd Shahezwan Abd Wahab
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Cawangan Selangor, Selangor, Malaysia
- Non-Destructive Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research Centre, Smart Manufacturing Research Institute, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Cawangan Selangor, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Afonso Miguel Cavaco
- Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Farmácia, Departamento de Farmácia Farmacologia e Tecnologias em Saúde, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Maria Magalhães
- Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Farmácia, Departamento de Farmácia Farmacologia e Tecnologias em Saúde, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Erwin Martinez Faller
- Pharmacy Department, School of Allied Health Sciences, San Pedro College, Davao City, Philippines
| | | | | | - Noordin Othman
- Clinical and Hospital Pharmacy Department, College of Pharmacy, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia
- School of Pharmacy, Management and Science University, University Drive, Off Persiaran Olahraga, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Puree Anantachoti
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Tatta Sriboonruang
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Faris Alnezary
- Clinical and Hospital Pharmacy Department, College of Pharmacy, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Yaser Alahmadi
- Clinical and Hospital Pharmacy Department, College of Pharmacy, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saad Bakur Fallatah
- Clinical and Hospital Pharmacy Department, College of Pharmacy, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Haifa Abdulrahman Fadil
- Clinical and Hospital Pharmacy Department, College of Pharmacy, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Carolina Oi Lam Ung
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao, China
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Tang S, Gong Y, Yao L, Xu Y, Liu M, Yang T, Ye C, Bai Y. Do medical treatment choices affect the health of chronic patients in middle and old age in China?-Evidence from CHARLS 2018. BMC Public Health 2022; 22:937. [PMID: 35538471 PMCID: PMC9088154 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-13309-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Different medical treatment choices may affect the health of patients with chronic diseases. This study aims to assess the relationship between treatment choices, including the use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and the health levels of middle-aged and elderly patients with six chronic diseases. The sample data comes from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS 2018). Basic conditions, medical choices and health status of patients are incorporated. The ordered Logit and Logit regression models are used to analyze and compare the effects of six chronic disease patients’ medical options on their self-rated health (SRH) and depression. The overall average score of SRH is the highest in patients with heart disease (the worst in SRH), which is 3.433. Arthritis patients have the highest overall depression average score (depression) at 0.444. Under the premise of controlling a variety of socio-demographic factors, compared with the non-treatment group, taking TCM has a significant positive effect on SRH of patients with five diseases except hypertension. Both taking western medicine (WM) and taking integrated Chinese and Western medicine (IM) have a significant positive effect on SRH scores of patients with six chronic diseases in middle and old age. Taking TCM has effect on depression of patients with heart or stomach diseases, and taking WM and IM affects depression of middle-aged and elderly chronic patients except diabetes. Taking IM has a greater effect on SRH and depression of chronically ill patients, followed by taking WM, and the effect of taking TCM is relatively small, which is related to the development stage of the disease. Therefore, in the future, the control and treatment of chronic diseases in the middle and late stages can be discussed from the perspective of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine, but attention should be paid to drug interactions. In order to improve the treatment rate and health level of patients with chronic diseases, their economic burden should be reduced, and they should be guided to choose more reasonable treatment methods.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ying Gong
- Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
| | - Ling Yao
- Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Yun Xu
- Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Meixian Liu
- Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Tongling Yang
- Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Chaoyu Ye
- Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Yamei Bai
- Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
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Park J, Yi E, Yi J. The Provision and Utilization of Traditional Korean Medicine in South Korea: Implications on Integration of Traditional Medicine in a Developed Country. Healthcare (Basel) 2021; 9:healthcare9101379. [PMID: 34683059 PMCID: PMC8544406 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare9101379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 10/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Traditional Korean medicine (TKM) is formally integrated into the Korean national health system and monitored through the systematic and computerized system, which could grasp the whole medical services utilization in Korea. This study analyzed TKM resources as input and utilization as output using data from 2008–2017 and compared them to Conventional Medicine (CM). As a result, 25.4% of Koreans utilized TKM yearly, and the proportion of TKM medical expenditure (ME) to total ME in national health insurance was around 4% between 2008 to 2017. The proportion of ME has been stagnating or decreasing over the past ten years. Primary users are the elderly, women, and patients with musculoskeletal diseases. The Korean Ministry of health and welfare has also developed and operated programs that have taken advantage of the strengths of TKM. This study analyzes the current status of TKM in Korea comparing with that of CM. It also explores how and why the patterns of TKM and CM are different. Although the study focuses on input and output indicators, it also highlights the challenge of evaluating whether these lead to outcomes. Lastly, it seeks to inform relevant authorities of the importance of monitoring roles and evidence-informed policymaking.
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Attena F. Limitations of Western Medicine and Models of Integration Between Medical Systems. J Altern Complement Med 2016; 22:343-8. [PMID: 27070976 DOI: 10.1089/acm.2015.0381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
This article analyzes two major limitations of Western medicine: maturity and incompleteness. From this viewpoint, Western medicine is considered an incomplete system for the explanation of living matter. Therefore, through appropriate integration with other medical systems, in particular nonconventional approaches, its knowledge base and interpretations may be widened. This article presents possible models of integration of Western medicine with homeopathy, the latter being viewed as representative of all complementary and alternative medicine. To compare the two, a medical system was classified into three levels through which it is possible to distinguish between different medical systems: epistemological (first level), theoretical (second level), and operational (third level). These levels are based on the characterization of any medical system according to, respectively, a reference paradigm, a theory on the functioning of living matter, and clinical practice. The three levels are consistent and closely consequential in the sense that from epistemology derives theory, and from theory derives clinical practice. Within operational integration, four models were identified: contemporary, alternative, sequential, and opportunistic. Theoretical integration involves an explanation of living systems covering simultaneously the molecular and physical mechanisms of functioning living matter. Epistemological integration provides a more thorough and comprehensive explanation of the epistemic concepts of indeterminism, holism, and vitalism to complement the reductionist approach of Western medicine; concepts much discussed by Western medicine while lacking the epistemologic basis for their emplacement. Epistemologic integration could be reached with or without a true paradigm shift and, in the latter, through a model of fusion or subsumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Attena
- Department of Experimental Medicine, School of Medicine, Second University of Naples , Naples, Italy
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