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ISCMR
NEWSFLASH
ISCMR Annual
Workshop
Workshop: Qualitative Research in Complementary and Alternative
Medicine
Monday 19th September 2005 1–5pm.
In conjunction with the 12th Annual Symposium for
Complementary Health Care
at Streatham Court, University of
Exeter.
The qualitative research
special interest group of ISCMR is proposing to present a half-day
workshop on qualitative research in Complementary and Alternative
Medicine (CAM). We would like to attract to this workshop people of
varying levels of experience in qualitative research who want to
explore the strengths, limitations and applications of qualitative
research in CAM. Please note that this is this is not intended as an
introductory “how to” workshop.
The
aims of the workshop are to:
·
Introduce qualitative
research methods in the context of CAM and
Whole Systems Research– what they are and where they may be useful in
CAM research
·
Explore the role of
qualitative research in CAM – strengths,
applications and limitations
·
Provide an opportunity to
discuss issues about qualitative research in
CAM.
Background
“The new discipline
of whole systems research (WSR) targets the study of complex CAM
therapies as system-level phenomena, as opposed to single-agent or uni-dimensional
effects. This article describes the pre-defined goals, issues that
were developed, and opportunities that were revealed in a workshop
held in Vancouver BC, in which scientists, practitioners, and policy
makers met to lay the foundations of WSR. Important issues were
identified, such as treatment individualization, problems of
diagnosis, patient-practitioner interaction, varying therapeutic
contexts, and patient-determined outcome values. Research design
issues that were addressed included a variety of challenges to the
study of intact systems, in relation to both synergy and emergent
behaviors, and the opportunities to innovate the conventional RCT. As
the network of CAM scientists and practitioners engaged in WSR
expands, a common nomenclature and body of techniques will help us to
a better understanding of the ways in which whole systems affect
healing.” (abstract: Ritenbaugh C, Verhoef M, Fleishman S, Boon H
(2003) Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine 9(4):32-36)
At a second
International workshop on Research Methods for the Investigation of
CAM Whole Systems, one of the themes that was underscored in one of
the plenary discussions was the “Need for concurrent quantitative and
qualitative research methods. It was suggested by several participants
that the combination of quantitative methods, such as randomized
controlled trials (RCTs), and qualitative methods is a useful start to
assessing how the quality of the patient-practitioner relationship may
impact on symptom improvement and patient well-being (i.e., what is
its added value). It was also recognized that the challenges to
studying the therapeutic relationship are not unique to CAM, and the
research literature in other areas of medicine (e.g., family medicine
and the social sciences) that also acknowledge the potential impact of
this relationship on health indicators should be reviewed.” (Verhoef
MJ, Lewith G, Ritenbaugh C, Thomas K, Boon H, Fønnebø V. Whole
Systems Research: moving forward. FACT. 2004; 9(2): 87-90).
In
the workshop we plan to introduce participants to, or re-acquaint them
with, the Whole Systems Research (WSR) approach. We will describe
where qualitative research is relevant in the WSR approach and how it
can offer a means to ask questions that are outside the scope of
randomised controlled trials. A brief overview of qualitative research
in CAM will be presented, highlighting the sorts of questions that
have been asked, how they’ve been addressed and the findings they have
produced. We will review the strengths, limitations and applications
of qualitative research in CAM and identify lessons learned about the
application of qualitative research in CAM.
Registration
is FREE to all ISCMR members and to the 12th Annual
symposium delegates, however, all delegates need to register for the
workshop.
The registration fee for non-members/or those not attending 12th
Annual symposium is $75 US payable by credit card.
Registration forms available at:
www.iscmr.org/events/events.html
or email:
compmed@soton.ac.uk
Places are limited, so please register early to secure a place.
For
information or questions,
please contact Dr George
Lewith – Email:
compmed@soton.ac.uk
To download a
printable version of this announcement,
please
click here or visit the ISCMR events page:
www.iscmr.org/events/events.html
To download a registration form for this event,
please click here or visit the ISCMR events page:
www.iscmr.org/events/events.html
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