Researching complementary and alternative therapies: frameworks for CAM evaluation

摘要

Complementary and alternative medicine encompasses a vast array of interventions aimed at improving the health of individuals. A large proportion of people use complementary and alternative medicine after a diagnosis of cancer and there is a need to understand these interventions, their efficacy and interaction with conventional medical treatments. The quality and rigour of complementary and alternative medicine research has been frequently criticised. Some deficiencies in reporting of complementary and alternative medicine research can be addressed by improved research design. Further improvements are possible through the use of frameworks for evaluation of complex or whole systems that clearly document the complementary and alternative medicine intervention, placing it in the context of treatment delivery and the philosophical assumptions underpinning the intervention. These frameworks provide guidance as to the staged and systematic development of complementary and alternative medicine interventions. Using these frameworks to document the complementary and alternative medicine intervention development supports the inclusion of the philosophical concepts at the core of the intervention. Doing so is likely to assist in the development of a shared language between complementary and alternative medicine researchers and evidence-based practitioners.