Clinical practice guideline on traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of influenza (2021)

Abstract

Influenza is a serious public health problem that endangers the health of the global human population. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is rich in theory and practical experience regarding the treatment of influenza, and TCM treatments have shown good curative effects, but there is a dearth of standardized clinical guidance. It is necessary to formulate a clinical practice guide based on evidence-based medicine. To this end, the Specialty Committee of Emergency, China Association of Chinese Medicine (Beijing, China) organized a team of clinical experts, methodological experts, and other multidisciplinary experts to develop a guideline with integrated research methods in the first place of TCM. This guide includes 23 recommendations. The prescription section contains 16 recommendations, including 5 recommendations for mild cases, 5 recommendations for severe cases, 3 recommendations for critical cases, and 4 recommendations for the recovery period; the portion covering proprietary Chinese medicines forms a total of 7 recommendations. This guide aims to provide the best evidence for clinicians and related practitioners to make decisions about influenza diagnosis and treatment in Chinese medicine.