Korean Medicine Clinical Practice Guidelines

Unlike disease-oriented Western medicine, “Korean medicine,” as defined in the Korean Medicine Clinical Practice Guidelines (KMCPGs), has the advantage of using treatment methods that can vary depending on patients, even for the same disease, but difficulties arise in evaluating and verifying evidence. Therefore, it is necessary to collect various treatment activities from a comprehensive perspective and set the scope of treatment. A high proportion of primary care in Korea is provided in clinics. Collaborative and conservative treatments are also performed, and additional Korean medicine is provided to supplement existing conservative medical treatments based on the needs of the patient. Therefore, clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) should reflect the reality of the clinical practice of Korean medicine so as to increase the actual use of CPGs in clinical practice. In addition, it is necessary to collect, evaluate, and actively capture the contents of the clinical practice, including primary Korean medical clinic, opinions of the entire Korean medicine practitioner for each disease or subject in the development of guidelines. Korean medicine is highly heterogeneous depending on physicians and medical institutions, so it needs to be standardized the treatment to ensure its universal acceptance without harming patient-centered treatment. Standardization will also make it easier to apply for national health insurance or be included in government-run medical service projects in the areas of disease prevention and chronic disease management, which are areas of strength for Korean medicine.

The KMCPGs synthesize and develop clinical, empirical, and theoretical evidence using scientific methodology to provide information that becomes the standard for a variety of Korean medical services, such as prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and follow-up management. The Guidelines are thereby intended to contribute to improving the overall national health level by providing optimized services to users of Korean medicine.