Book Description

The concept of real-world studies (RWS) has emerged in recent years and differs from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in design and implementation. The importance of real-world data (RWD) and real-world evidence (RWE) in the context of medical and health decision-making is rising. This is relevant for the many and diverse medical traditions globally. RWS can bring new ideas and methodologies for clinical efficacy and safety evaluation of different specific preparations used in a Traditional Medicine (TM) and allow a high-quality assessment of the evidence for specific uses of such preparations. TM, including Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Traditional European Medicine (TEM) or Traditional Indian Medicines (TIM) as well as interventions using herbal medicines or natural products such as dietary fibre are all examples of practices which can benefit from RWS. For example, TCM is a unique form of medical practice based on a complex philosophy as well as on real-world clinical experience and evidence. RWE is essential for understanding the evidence one can derive from the outcomes of medical practice. It is of particular interest for understanding TCM diagnosis and treatment. In addition, there is potential for real-world traditional medical therapies based on other cultural and philosophical principles (natural products or herbal medicines). Currently, RWS is mostly utilized for evaluation the clinical efficacy of Traditional medicine (TM) treatments, including post-marketing re-evaluation of new medications or traditional classical prescriptions, as well as TM-related mechanistic research.