Development of KM-CPG Increase Safety

The Ministry of Health and Welfare has announced the third Korean Medicine Promotion and Advancement Plan for 2016-2020 to foster the development of Korean Medicine.  

The goal of this plan focuses on improving the health of citizens and strengthening national competitiveness through Korean Medicine. Specifically, the strategy posits that the development and dissemination of the Korean Medicine Clinical Practice Guidelines (KM-CPG) will produce scientific evidence for and encourage trust in Korean Medicine clinical practices, which will improve accessibility and pave the way for future industry activity. 

Korean Medicine is the traditional medicine of Korea, and it is used to prevent and treat illnesses by balancing the entire body with materials and knowledge derived from nature. However, there is a growing demand for standardized protocol and clinical evidence in contemporary society for all branches of medicine, and medical practices relying primarily on subjective experience-based training have lost much public trust. In light of this, the MoHW has put forth great efforts to standardize Korean Medicine treatment practices by disease and provide a one-stop authority on relevant evidence from around the globe. 

Indeed, this single source authority culminated in the development of the Korean Medicine Clinical Practice Guidelines.  The Korean Medicine Clinical Practice Guidelines set a foundation for Korean Medicine Doctors (KMD) to systematically make treatment decisions, thus heightening the quality of care. Additionally, the guidelines will serve as a reliable and objective reference that can be used to further strengthen the trustworthiness of Korean Medicine in the deciding process of health care policy. 

The Korean Medicine Clinical Practice Guideline Development Project has been running for six years since 2016 to research 30 high priority illnesses. The 30 illnesses were selected based on areas where public demand for treatment is high and the excellence of Korean Medicine treatment has excelled. Experts specializing in specific diseases are leading each of the projects. After passing the evaluation and certification processes, the finalized guidelines are expected to be published by the National Center for Korean Medicine (NCKM) which will further bolster the dissemination of the guidelines. 

Ultimately, it is hoped that the guidelines will present an algorithm that combines the latest evidence to date with new evidence-producing clinical trial results and develops clinical guidelines in line with international standards. A researcher from the project group stated, “The new medicines, medical technologies and equipment being developed in light of the guidelines open new potential for the Korean Medicine industry.” The researcher also explained, “The guidelines will contribute to expand the coverage of Korean Medicine treatment by national health insurance, and carry on various national health development projects using clearer evidence of Korean Medicine.”