The Third Annual Symposium on Complementary Health Care, Exeter, UK, December 1996

Abstract

The Third Annual Symposium on Complementary Health Care, organized by the Department of Complementary Medicine, Postgraduate Medical School, University of Exeter, was held on 11-13 December 1996, at the Rougemont Hotel, Exeter. The symposium attracted 150 delegates, some from as far afield as Australia, South America, India and South Africa. This international meeting is becoming an established event in the world of complementary medicine, and is notable for its strong emphasis on original research presentations and the high standards of work from contributors. In response to a request from last year's delegates for information on research methodology in complementary medicine, this year's symposium included a pre-symposium workshop on Research Methodologies, chaired by Andrew Vickers from the Research Council for Complementary Medicine. During the session, Steven Vogel from the British School of Osteopathy led a workshop task on the suitability of different methodologies for research in complementary medicine, and Dr Martin Marshall from the Institute of General Practice, Postgraduate Medical School, University of Exeter, described what qualitative methods can offer complementary medicine research. The first keynote lecture was given by Dr Doyle, Director of Medical Policy at PPP Healthcare Group, UK, who presented a private health insurance compaw's perspective on complementary medicine. Dr Doyle's message to complementary practitioners was clear: demonstrate competence, effectiveness and safety, and seek to obtain regulation of the profession. Other keynote speakers were Mrs Elizabeth Baker from the Medicines Control Agency in London, who