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Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine >

2022 , Vol. 42 >Issue 4: 652 - 666

DOI: https://doi.org/10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.20220602.002

Reviews

Mixed methods research in complementary and alternative medicine: a scoping review

  • Wanqing DU ,
  • Liuding WANG ,
  • Min JIA ,
  • Xiao LIANG ,
  • Bo LI ,
  • Yunling ZHANG ,
  • Xing LIAO
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  • 1 Department of Neurology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100091, China
    2 Center for Evidence-based Chinese Medicine, Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
    3 Xiyuan School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China
    4 Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Beijing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100010, China
Prof. ZHANG Yunling, Department of Neurology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing100091, China. yunlingzhang2004@126.com, Telephone: +86-15201084286; +86-17888805760
Prof. LIAO Xing, Center for Evidence-based Chinese Medicine, Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China. okfrom2008@hotmail.com;

Received date: 2022-02-02

  Accepted date: 2022-05-07

  Online published: 2022-07-12

Supported by

Design and Application of Mixed Method Research in Traditional Chinese Medicine(CI2021B003);Integrated Innovation and Application of Traditional Trial and Real-World Study of Chinese Medicine in Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine Setting(2020YJSZX-3);the Optimal Subject Setting and Design of Evidence-Based Research Implementation in the Area of Brain Diseases of Traditional Chinese Medicine(ZZ13-024-3)

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To update the current characteristics about the scope and quality of mixed methods research (MMR) in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) after nearly 10 years. METHODS: A 5-stage approach for conducting a scoping review was adopted. Articles published on the top 10 journals in CAM with the highest impact factor in 2020 were screened for MMR. Information of included articles were extracted, and then synthesized to illustrate the current state. Methodological quality was evaluated according to the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT) 2018 version. RESULTS: A total of 55 (55/2991, 2%) articles using mixed methods were retrieved, including 17 medical studies and 38 ethnobotanical studies. We performed an in-depth analysis on the 17 medical studies, which studied cancer, stress, pain, fatigue, exercises, mindfulness intervention, herbal medicine use, art and acupuncture. Thirteen pilot studies applied MMR to evaluate the feasibility of interventions or programs (13/17, 76%); phenomenology was inferred as the most common philosophical assumptions (13/17, 76%); the most applied type of MMR was convergent design (16/17, 94%); integration often took place at integration (12/17, 71%). Among the 16 eligible studies for quality appraisal, majority were rated as good (14/16, 88%), whereas two studies were rated as poorly described. Primarily, a poor rating was due to incomplete reporting of data analysis and citations in qualitative components; lack of confounder controlling and the sampling strategy in quantitative components; poor description of integration and justification for mixed methods. Comparing with the previous review, fewer MMR were published in 2020 in CAM, but the proportion of studies that clearly reported MMR has increased by 4 times (4%→15%). CONCLUSION: CAM researchers need to realize the benefits that MMR can have on conducting further health care research. Our findings highlight that applying MMR will be helpful to understand the complex dynamics and interdisciplinary nature of complex intervention. In addition, addressing a standardized reporting criteria for MMR is recommended.

Key words： complementary therapies; review; biomedical research; pilot projects; mixed methods

Cite this article

Wanqing DU , Liuding WANG , Min JIA , Xiao LIANG , Bo LI , Yunling ZHANG , Xing LIAO . Mixed methods research in complementary and alternative medicine: a scoping review[J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2022 , 42(4) : 652 -666 . DOI: 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.20220602.002

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