Toward a conceptual framework for complementary and alternative medicine: Challenges and issues

A problem facing information retrieval and exchange among international med ical practitioners and researchers is the lack of a knowledge structure or conceptual framework that relates concepts used in the Western medical syst em to those used in non-Western medical systems. This paper presents challe nges we have encountered in attempting to develop a general conceptual fram ework to cover concepts and terminology used for information retrieval in t he field of complementary and alternative medicine. This is a broad field t hat has not been covered appropriately in knowledge organization systems su ch as classification schemes, thesauri, and terminology databases. The obje ctive of the project is to improve significantly the efficiency and the qua lity of cross-language and cross-cultural information exchange and knowledg e discovery by facilitating concept mapping and information retrieval betwe en Western and Eastern medical traditions. Major facets of the conceptual f ramework include Diagnostic Categories, Therapeutic Preparations, Human Ana tomy, Selected Diseases/Medical Conditions, and Basics of Traditional Syste ms. The paper discusses issues of subject coverage, the representation of m edical concepts in the conceptual framework, incorporation of concept names that have existed in individual traditional systems, and the relationships among concepts. Findings reported are primarily from current work that foc uses on Traditional Chinese Medicine.