Modern Chinese medicine is rooted in classical literature and the legacies provided by ancient doctors and their patients.It is also grounded in the practices of expert clinicians and increasingly informed by clinical and experimental research.Considering Chinese medicine's stage of international development,a whole-evidence approach is an appropriate method for compiling and synthesizing different types and levels of evidence for specific types of interventions.This approach can be used for the wide range of clinical conditions that Chinese medicine commonly treats.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in treating chronic non-specific low back pain. Methods: Ten patients with chronic low back pain were selected to receive 9 acupuncture treatments over a three-week period with point selection based on syndrome differentiation in Chinese medicine. The BROM Instrument for assessment of back range of motion; subjective evaluation with Visual Analog Scale of Pain (VASP) ratings, Oswestry Disability ratings, objective measurements including Algometry, and Flexion and Extension ratings to investigate the range of motion were used for comparing the large, medium and small effect sizes of baseline, treatment and follow-up phases. Results: Clinical significance of pain relief was shown in all parameters assessed. A large effect size was detected in VASP, Oswestry and Algometry. A small effect size was demonstrated in Flexion/Extension. Needling over short period time (3 weeks) could relieve the pain, but the muscular-skeletal function measured by BROM persists. To treat patients exclusively by needling for statistical purposes can not be justified, because by merely relieving pain, permanent improvement in function may not be achieved. Conclusion: Acupuncture offers an effective alternative for the clinical management of chronic low back pain, significant improvement in most of the parameters evaluated, but the functional improvement was not as satisfactory as pain relieving. Further study with larger sample size focuses on long-term efficacy and functional improvement for chronic low back pain is recommended.

The similarities and differences between Chinese medicine (CM) education in China and Australia are considered in a detailed comparison of the five-year undergraduate programmes offered by the Beijing University of CM (BUCM), China and RMIT University (RMIT), Australia. BUCM is a specialist CM institution whereas RMIT is a technological university providing training in a wide range of professional areas. Both institutions are considered to be leading tertiary institutions within their respective countries. A brief account of the historical development of CM education in China and Australia is provided. We have compared the curricula and structure of the programmes and how they each address the development of essential graduate capabilities for competent and safe clinical CM practice. We have also considered the quality assurance processes and the requirements of external regulatory authorities. The curricula and educational objectives of the 2 programmes are broadly similar. Both institutions have established rigorous processes for managing teaching quality and ensuring appropriate graduates to promote evidence-based CM practice. However, there are differences relating to the healthcare systems of China and Australia and to the availability of teaching resources and clinical training facilities such as classical CM texts and CM hospitals. These differences present major challenges for the internationalisation of CM education. The findings of this study may facilitate the process of CM curriculum development in a global context.
Australia ; China ; Education, Medical, Undergraduate ; standards ; trends ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Program Evaluation ; trends

Chinese medicine has been used for centuries to treat a range of health conditions.This history has produced a wealth of classical literature,case studies and clinical research data detailing its use and effectiveness.However,high-quality and conclusive evidence that meets modern requirements for clinical decision support is lacking.This evidence gap limits the integration of Chinese medicine with contemporary medicine,which in turn limits global access and acceptance of Chinese medicine as a form of safe and effective health care.Over the past 20 years,researchers and organisations around the world,including the World Health Organization(WHO)and United Nations,have worked to support the integration of traditional medicines,such as Chinese medicine,with conventional medicines to improve global health care.This paper provides an overview of Chinese medicine studies published in the top four general medical journals(BMJ,JAMA,Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine)from February 2005 to February 2024 in the past 20 years to highlight the progress in the development of this evidence base.It also highlights key actions taken to promote evidence-based clinical Chinese medicine,including product and practitioner regulation,formalising education standards,and international collaborations.Research conducted at the China-Australia International Research Centre for Chinese Medicine demonstrates the benefits of such a collaboration.Through development of its unique and inclusive'whole-evidence'approach,plus clinical studies and systematic reviews,the Centre has significantly contributed to the evidence base for clinical Chinese medicine.In addition,its high-impact papers and groundbreaking monographs have been cited in international conventional medicine guidelines.While progress has certainly been made during the past 20 years to build a stronger evidence base for clinical Chinese medicine,there is still a considerable gap that limits its integration with conventional medicine.Future funding and research are needed to continue this work and achieve to safe,effective and accessible traditional medicine as part of the WHO's Universal Health Coverage strategy.

The grading of evidence is an important factor in clinical decision-making. The current evidence grading system based on western medicine is limited in the clinical practice of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， therefore we propose the solutions to the development of grading system for TCM interventional evidence， following the international evidence grading standards， taking into considerations of the unique characteristics of TCM practice， based on the Grades of recommendation， assessment， development and evaluation （GARDE） evaluation system， and integrating with grading system regarding TCM classical literature and empirical evidence from modern famous doctors. The evidence from classical literature is suggested to be evaluated from three aspects including source of ancient medical records， comprehensive of treatment details， and the inheritance. The qualification of famous doctors， content integrity， and inheritance of experiences will be used to evaluate the evidence from famous doctors' experience. The multi-sourced evidence such as TCM classical literature， experience of modern famous doctors， and modern researches is mainly integrated in a qualitative way， and the overall level of evidence of TCM interventions will be graded consistently with the GRADE system based on modern research. The evidence from classical literature and modern famous doctors' experience will be assessed and considered as supplementary evidence， which will make the evaluation of clinical evidence more objectively and comprehensively， thereby guiding clinical practice further.