Reforming Medical Education in China: A Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective

Abstract

Introduction: While the Chinese medical education system is undergoing comprehensive reform, traditional forms of Chinese medicines (TCM) continue to be a unique and indispensable part of health care system. However, few studies have explored how various forms of TCM are incorporated with biomedicine in clinical practice. Purpose: To explore clinicians' professional and extraprofessional experience with TCM and to assess whether their medical education has prepared them for clinical work that requires drawing on knowledge of TCM. Methods: Surveys were distributed in 2013 to 18 clinicians, 33 undergraduates and 60 post-graduate students. The survey combined forced-choice and open-ended questions assessing personal and professional experiences with TCM. Mixed qualitative and quantitative methods were used to investigate trends in open-ended survey responses. Results: The majority of clinicians (89%), post-graduate students (60%) and undergraduate students (67%) have personally used TCM treatments. The vast majority of all three groups indicated that they would continue to recommend TCM to patients. Respondents expressed an overall positive attitude towards their extraprofessional experience with TCM whereas their professional experience with TCM was mixed. Conclusion: The extraprofessional and professional experiences of clinicians and students with various types of TCM for a diverse array of indications reveal the sustained clinical presence of TCM. The survey reveals the importance of more training in applying TCM, especially in a clinical setting, and imminent hurdles that must be overcome in implementing clinical training reforms.

Keywords

• Medical education, traditional Chinese medicine, medical reform