ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This study investigated the validity of introducing a clinical skills examination (CSE) to the Korean Oriental Medicine Licensing Examination through a mixed-method modified Delphi study METHODS: A 3-round Delphi study was conducted between September and November 2022. The expert panel comprised 21 oriental medicine education experts who were officially recommended by relevant institutions and organizations. The questionnaires included potential content for the CSE and a detailed implementation strategy. Subcommittees were formed to discuss concerns around the introduction of the CSE, which were collected as open-ended questions. In this study, a 66.7% or greater agreement rate was defined as achieving a consensus. RESULTS: The expert panel's evaluation of the proposed clinical presentations and basic clinical skills suggested their priorities. Of the 10 items investigated for building a detailed implementation strategy for the introduction of the CSE to the Korean Oriental Medicine Licensing Examination, a consensus was achieved on 9. However, the agreement rate on the timing of the introduction of the CSE was low. Concerns around 4 clinical topics were discussed in the subcommittees, and potential solutions were proposed. CONCLUSION: This study offers preliminary data and raises some concerns that can be used as a reference while discussing the introduction of the CSE to the Korean Oriental Medicine Licensing Examination.
Subject(s)
Clinical Competence , Medicine, East Asian Traditional , Humans , Delphi Technique , Consensus , Republic of KoreaABSTRACT
Fresh rhizome of Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch. (Saeng-jihwang in Korean: SJH) has been prescribed for the treatment of diabetes-associated complications. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the underlying mechanisms of the efficacy of SJH in diabetes-related complications. Decoction was obtained after boiling SJH in water and subsequent lyophilization. The cellular toxicity of SJH was determined by MTT assay. The antioxidant activity of SJH was measured by DPPH and DCFH-DA assays. The effects of SJH on inflammatory responses elicited by AGEs were assessed by western blotting and semi-quantitative RT-PCR analyses. The water extract of SJH had a high free radical scavenging activity in vitro and decreased the level of intracellular ROS in THP-1 cells treated with AGEs. SJH suppressed the expression of pro-inflammatory genes, including TNF-α, MCP-1, IP-10, COX-2, and iNOS; the activation of NF-κB; and the expression of RAGE, a receptor for AGEs, where the expressions of which were induced by AGEs. These results suggest the possibility that SJH can be an alternative therapeutics for diabetes-associated diseases.