Dilemma of integration with Western medicine - views of Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners in a predominant Western medical setting

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the in-depth views of the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners towards Western and Chinese medicine, and the possible ways of integration under a predominant Western medical setting.

Design and setting: Purposive, qualitative design based on focus group interviews of TCM practitioners in Hong Kong.

Participants: Information-rich participants were recruited from a Western medicine training course for TCM practitioners. Two focus groups comprising 13 TCM practitioners were held before the course, and two others with 10 TCM practitioners after the course.

Results: The TCM practitioners were adapted to act in a supportive role to Western doctors although they recognized their own strengths. They highlighted the prejudice from the Western doctors on their diagnostic approach. The TCM practitioners felt that they were actually more open-minded than the Western doctors, who often discouraged the patients to see them. Regarding integration with Western medicine, they considered it as a complicated issue due to the different concepts and forms of integration, as well as the balance between the two types of medicine. While there was a concern that learning Western medicine might overshadow their TCM mindset, they thought that TCM had always welcomed new elements to be added into it over the centuries, Western medicine being no exception.

Conclusions: The TCM practitioners are adapted to a supportive role to Western doctors under a predominant Western medical setting. Despite the uncertainties for collaboration, the TCM practitioners tend to support the trend of integration.