Abstract
This study was conducted to compare the need for research and development (R&D) of Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM) perceived by the public and Traditional Korean Medicine doctor (KMD) in. Survey data from 2462 people and KMD were utilized for this study. Overall, 25.10% of the public and 90.91% of KMD answered that government grants for TKM R&D were “extremely necessary.” The majority of respondents reported that grants were needed “for the advancement of science and technology in TKM” (public, 46.28%; KMD, 34.08%). Research regarding herbal medicine was the top priority of TKM R&D in both groups. However, “research facilities and training for researchers (27.85%)” was a close second priority of the public, but not KMD. Moreover, the public believed that safety from adverse effects and toxicity was a more important area of R&D in each discipline, but KMD did not find these to be important. The public and KMD generally agreed on the need for government grants for TKM R&D, but the public was more interested in safety than KMD. Therefore, government policy decision makers must consider opinions of both the public and KMD when planning government grants.
Highlights
Many people are interested in traditional medicine (TM) worldwide [1]
To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first comparison of perception of the needs and priorities of government grants for Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM) research and development (R&D) of the public and Korean medical doctors (KMD)
The results showed significant differences between the public and KMD
Summary
A high percentage of the population (20%–64%) use TM [2, 3], and 60% of South Koreans have had experience with Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM) [4]. In South Korea, many traditional Korean medical doctors (KMD) have long utilized government grants for research and development (R&D) of TKM, but the R&D results have not been sufficient to meet the specific needs of the public. This is probably due to the difference in the priority of the public and KMD for TKM R&D.
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