ABSTRACT
This paper examines the scenario of research orientation in Ayurveda educational institutions of India.We demonstrate through the data obtained by searching the SCOPUS that the actual research outputby these institutions is not very significant in terms of number of publications. While a lack of researchexpertise and infrastructure is one contributing factor to this status, a lack of questioning attitude is morecrucial one. Mushrooming of new colleges, laxity in regulations, corruption, lack of atmosphere forethical and quality research make the problem more complex. We show, with the help of SCOPUS Data,that the recent trend of establishing stand-alone institutions of Ayurveda may not help in invigoratingresearch activities since the research contributions from such institutions have always been very poor.Instead, we suggest that existing stand-alone institutions of Ayurveda be merged with other establishedCentral/State universities or other Medical colleges. The data demonstrates that the research output hasbeen always significant when an institution has many experts working in different streams of sciencewithin, than when the institutions have only Ayurveda experts. We also take up the question of designingthe clinical trials that are suitable for Ayurveda and propose an algorithm that may be considered forresearch in educational institutions, at least at doctoral level. We further enlist a set of recommendationsthat could potentially change the scenario. Evidence-informed policy making, inducting clinicians intothe education system, making the curricula more attractive by including recent advances, introducingefficient faculty training programs, and rigorous implementation of the existing regulations - are some ofthe key recommendations we have made.© 2018 Transdisciplinary University, Bangalore and World Ayurveda Foundation. Publishing Services byElsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
ABSTRACT
Several questions are being raised regarding the accuracy of the methods of diagnosis and reporting of various clinical parameters according to Ayurveda in recent times. Uniformity in reporting, issues related to inter‑rater variability, uniformity in applying statistical tests, reliability, consistency, and validation of various tools, ‑ are some of the major concerns that are being voiced. Dhatu Sarata is one such domain where no substantial work has been carried out to address these issues. The Sanskrit term “Dhatu” roughly translates as a “tissue.” Sarata stands for the status of Dhatu in a given individual, i.e., it describes whether the status is excellent, moderate, or poor. In the available research literature, there are several gaps while dealing with and reporting the clinical assessment of Dhatu. Most of the workers group an individual into any one of the categories of Dhatu Sarata, and this approach neglects the contribution of other Dhatus to the overall Sarata in that individual. In this communication, we propose the usefulness of “weighted mean” in expressing the overall Sarata in an individual. This gives the researcher a freedom of not classifying an individual into any one group of Sarata, while also simultaneously allowing him/her to retain the focus on the status of an individual Dhatu.
ABSTRACT
Background: ‘What is the ideal way of teaching Ayurveda?’ – has been a debated question since long. The present graduate level curriculum lists out the topics from ‘contemporary medical science’ and ‘Ayurveda’ discretely, placing no emphasis on integration. Most of the textbooks, too, follow the same pattern. This makes learning not only diffi cult, but also leads to cognitive dissonance. Objectives: To develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a few integrative teaching methods. Materials and Methods: We introduced three different interventions in the subject Kriya Sharira with special reference to ‘cardiovascular physiology’. The instructional methods that we evaluated were: 1. Integrative module on cardiovascular physiology (IMCP), 2. case-stimulated learning (CSL), and 3. classroom small group discussion (CSGD). In the fi rst two experiments, we subjected the experimental group of graduate students to the integrative instructional methods. The control group of students received the instructions in a conventional, didactic, teacher-centric way. After the experiments were over, the learning outcome was assessed and compared on the basis of the test scores. The groups were crossed over thereafter and the instructional methods were interchanged. Finally, feedback was obtained on different questionnaires. In the third experiment, only student feedback was taken as we could not have a control group. Results: The test results in the fi rst experiment showed that the integrative method is comparable with the conventional method. In the second experiment, the test results showed that the integrative method is better than the conventional method. The student feedback showed that all the three methods were perceived to be more interesting than the conventional one. Conclusion: The study shows that the development of testable integrative teaching methods is possible in the context of Ayurveda education. It also shows that students fi nd integrative approaches more interesting than the conventional method.
ABSTRACT
Currently, India recognizes fi ve different healthcare systems, collectively known as AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy), along with the conventional biomedicine. These systems have their own institutionalized structure for monitoring medical education and practice. However, because of the ‘parallel’ kind of policy model that is followed in India, there is no formal provision for any cross-talk between the professionals belonging to these different streams. This situation has not only given rise to mutual misgivings among these professionals regarding the strengths and weaknesses of each other, but also has led to a poor appreciation of the historical and socio-cultural connections these streams share with the community at large. To tackle these issues and to promote adequate participation of biomedicine experts in AYUSH-related research projects, ‘introduction of an AYUSH module in the current curriculum of MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) program’ has been proposed in this communication along with a possible roadmap for its implementation. It is also suggested that the experts in biomedicine be engaged for training AYUSH graduates in their respective specialties so that quality AYUSH education may be ensured.