Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: To figure out the research status and quality of publicly published domestic and foreign studies on the pharmacoeconomics of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
METHODS: According to the literature retrieval strategy and inclusion and exclusion criteria formulated in this study, the research literatures on the pharmacoeconomics of TCM publicly published from 2020 to 2024 were systematically searched and collected in seven databases: CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, Sinomed, Pubmed, Embase and the Cochrane Library. The quality of the studies were evaluated by the CHEERS 2022 checklist and the BMJ checklist, respectively.
RESULTS: A total of 59 studies were included, including 46 Chinese studies and 13 English studies. Information extraction was conducted for a total of 22 items, such as the basic information, research design and research content of the studies. The quality of the studies was evaluated by the CHEERS 2022 checklist, with the average score of the included studies as 0.69 (The average score of Chinese and English studies was 0.68 and 0.75, respectively). The quality of the studies were evaluated by BMJ guidelines, with the average score of the included studies as 0.74 (the average score of Chinese and English studies was both 0.74).
CONCLUSIONS: Currently, the quality of research on the pharmacoeconomics of TCM still needs to be improved. There are some problems such as the implementation of key technologies related to the research is not standardized, and there exists a gap between the results of economic evaluation and the needs of administrative decisions in medical management practice. It is recommended to strengthen the development and application of outcome indicators of TCM; conducting high-quality research in accordance with the guidelines; and promote the clinically loaded pharmacoeconomics evaluations.