Wong Lai Yi Eliza, Leung Ping Chung
Department of Community and Family Medicine;
Patient Prefer Adherence. 2008 Feb 2;2:241-6. doi: 10.2147/ppa.s2439.
Patients' own account of the clinical progress is particularly important in situations of pain control, mental disturbances, and chronic problems. Chinese medicine does not directly target against a symptom or pathology, but emphasizes the maintenance of harmony between the vital forces of an individual. To achieve the harmony, usually long-termed treatment is required by consideration of the changing seasons and subject's constitution nature. With such unique requirements in Chinese medicine, the assessment of the quality of life becomes most important. There are obvious similarities between different systems of medical care. Hence the general domains of the quality of life should fit all patients, whether they are receiving conventional, modern medical care on alternative, Chinese medical care. Like different clinical research categories, specific areas (eg, cancer, women's problems) would need special additions of assessment. Chinese medicine is based on a uniquely different philosophy and the approach is not deductive, but individualized treatment is an essential requirement. The symptom/syndrome descriptions and interpretation are different from modern western medicine. Health-related quality of life is not sufficient for clinical trials using Chinese medicine, especially when Chinese medicine experts serve as chief investigators. Early attempts to develop an additional system to cover the need for Chinese medicine have been scanty. A lot of effort needs to be given before a practical instrument taking care of both the general domains of common interests and special feelings on health, relevant to Chinese medicine, could be established and made available. Users of Chinese medicine have to rely on generally acceptable yard-sticks with the addition of self-reporting symptoms unique to Chinese medicine.
在疼痛控制、精神障碍和慢性疾病等情况下，患者对临床进展的自述尤为重要。中医并非直接针对症状或病理，而是强调维持个体生命活力之间的平衡。为实现这种平衡，通常需要根据季节变化和个体体质进行长期治疗。鉴于中医的这些独特要求，生活质量评估变得至关重要。不同医疗体系之间存在明显的相似之处。因此，生活质量的一般领域应适用于所有患者，无论他们接受的是传统现代医学治疗还是替代医学——中医治疗。与不同的临床研究类别一样，特定领域（如癌症、女性问题）需要进行特殊的评估补充。中医基于一种独特的不同理念，其方法不是演绎性的，而是个体化治疗是一项基本要求。症状/证候的描述和解释与现代西医不同。对于使用中医的临床试验来说，与健康相关的生活质量并不足够，尤其是当中医专家担任主要研究者时。早期开发一个额外系统以满足中医需求的尝试很少。在建立并提供一个既涵盖共同关注的一般领域又包含与中医相关的特殊健康感受的实用工具之前，还需要付出很多努力。中医使用者必须依靠普遍可接受的标准，并补充中医特有的自我报告症状。
