A change of perspective: treatment for period pain using acupuncture alters how women view their menstrual cycle

Abstract

Purpose: Drawing from the experience of experts in different geographical areas, including USA, UK, Australia, and China, this review identified the key elements which could be used to define IM and to explore developing a checklist for reporting IM in clinical trials. Methods: A total of 54 sources were searched (including websites of governments, key authorities, representative clinical sites, academic journals, relevant textbooks) to identify definitions of IM from the four countries from 1990 2014. Key elements characterizing IM were extracted and categorized in a thematic approach in order to identify items to consider when reporting IM in research studies. Results: Seventeen definitions were identified and extracted from 17 sources. The remaining thirty seven sources did not provide a definition of IM. The most common key elements which defined IM were: practitioner-patient relationship; using aspects of both CAM and conventional medicine; goals of health and healing; holistic approach; and optimum treatment. Integration was also defined at three levels: theoretical, diagnostic and therapeutic. A potential check list of items is proposed for reporting IM in clinical studies. Conclusion: This paper identifies the key elements which define IM and provides a potential reporting guide for developing I M clinical trials which could be used in narrative/systematic reviews. Further debate, discussion and input is now needed from the research and clinical IM communities to further advance this agenda. Integrative medicine (IM, also called integrative healthcare) is a frequently used term, but there is no standard definition. Drawing from the experience of authors in four different countries (US, UK, Australia and China), this review aims to identify key elements to define IM; and begin to develop a potential checklist for reporting IM which could be developed for research purposes. Contact:Xiao-YangHu, hux2@lsbu.ac.uk / Nicola Robinson, nicky.robinson@lsbu.ac.uk