ABSTRACT
The Japan Society for Oriental Medicine has summarized randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using Japanese traditional (Kampo) medicine in structured abstracts, named “Evidence Reports of Kampo Treatment” (EKAT). In this study, we developed a method of classification based on study design, method of intervention, study aim, journal credibility, and year of publication. Then we classified 416 RCTs in EKAT and examined the current status and evolution of RCTs using Kampo medicine in Japan. Double-blinded RCTs (DB-RCTs) accounted for only 8.9% of the RCTs in EKAT, and 86.5% of DB-RCTs were placebo-controlled. Among the RCTs that aimed to investigate the efficacy of Kampo medicine for diseases without standard Western medical treatment, DB-RCT accounted for 64.9%. In recent years, there have been fewer envelope RCTs and quasi-RCTs, which are prone to an increased risk of bias. The proportion of articles reporting RCTs in journals with an impact factor ( > 0.79 points reported by Journal Citation Reports) has been increasing with each passing year. This implies that the recent research in Kampo medicine has improved its quality and has gained an appreciation in modern medicine. The present study was conducted in “Problem-based Learning” in the 2nd grade of Tohoku University School of Medicine.
ABSTRACT
<b>Objective: </b>The purposes of this study were to verify the actual state and to identify the problems associated with research activities by pharmacists.<br><b>Methods: </b>The abstracts presented at the 42nd and the 37th Japan Pharmaceutical Association (JPA) Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science were investigated. They were categorized into six research types: “Outcome research”; “Intervention research”; “Observational study”; “Status report”; “Case report”; and “Other”. They were then ranked according to evidence level, with “Outcome research” ranked the highest. In addition, “Outcome research”, “Intervention research” and “Observational studies” were checked for whether they had structured abstracts, and form scores were awarded.<br><b>Results: </b>We found that only 0.8% of abstracts were “Outcome research”. but the level was higher at the 42nd Congress than the 37th (<i>p</i>=0.03). Structured abstracts were also more common at the 42nd Congress than at the 37th (<i>p</i><0.01). However, the form scores were not significantly different between the 42nd and 37th Congresses.<br><b>Conclusions: </b>Our findings suggest that pharmacist research activities are improving, but that there is still room for further development. The referee system and the guidelines for research design are useful methods to encourage more activity. The target of this study was community pharmacy, and further studies are necessary for hospital pharmacy.
ABSTRACT
The Japan Society for Oriental Medicine (JSOM) began its second Special Committee for EBM (evidence- based medicine) project in 2005. Evidence Report Task Force (ER-TF) of the furthered the project on Evidence Reporting in Kampo Treatment initiated by the previous committee in 2001. The second Committee once again collected randomized control trial (RCT) literature only, to produce structured abstracts (SA). ors were then asked to make comments in these SA, as would be found in international EBM medical journals. There was concern, however, that their comments were reviewed negatively by authors of original article. Therefore a workshop entitled “How to Write Appropriate Comments” was held at the 58th Annual Meeting of JSOM in Hiroshima, on June 17, 2007. This workshop proved educational, and demonstrated ways to write more positive comments, including the so-called “sandwich technique” of writing first positive, then negative, then positive comments (PNP).
Subject(s)
Medicine, Kampo , NotificationABSTRACT
To introduce the writing techniques for structured Abstract of literature review papers based on the knowledge of corpus linguistics,so as to summarize the stylistic,structural,syntactic and lexical characteristics,objectively and systematically.This research will also faci-litate the authors and translators,who have difficulties in writing structured English Abstract,to publish their articles via mastering its stylistic characteristics,writing format and language.