earticle

영어

Purpose: This study aimed to develop a system that can be used by clinicians practicing Korean medicine (KM) to record necessary elements of case reports in a scientific manner. Methods: A common KM case report template and web-based system were developed through a KM chart-item review. The case entry structure of this system was established according to the CARE guidelines developed by the EQUATOR Network. The system structure was confirmed after 5 KM clinicians validated its usability. Results: A total of 835 items from 39 charts used in KM hospitals and clinics were analyzed. Among the KM-specific components, the item for a pattern identification (PI) diagnosis was made according to a chart frequency analysis, and the treatment item was selected according to herbal medicine and acupuncture reporting guidelines. The case data were recorded in the following order: patient demographic information, disease history, symptom changes including PI, treatment according to the timeline, and final treatment evaluation. This web-based KM case reporting system is available at https://www.kmpedia.kr. Conclusion: This case reporting system is expected to contribute to the present literature on KM-based clinical data. The analysis of this data will, in turn, lead to valid scientific evidence to support the practice of KM in the future.