Incorporation of complementary and traditional medicine in ICD-11

Abstract

Traditional medicine (TM) is practiced in various forms in over 180 countries. Despite this, health information systems on TM are limited. Consistent with this, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) international classification for diseases (ICD) has not to date included TM concepts. This is now changing, as the WHO has endorsed the reflection of TM paradigms in the new 11th Revision of ICD (ICD-11). Although some countries have had national Traditional Medicine classification systems for many years, information from such systems has not been standardized nor been made available globally. By including TM within the ICD, international standardization will be possible allowing for measuring, counting, comparing, formulating questions and monitoring over time. ICD-11 is a classification system for the twenty-first century, and it now provides an opportunity for interested users to integrate the coding of diagnostic concepts from both TM and Western Medicine. This paper describes the new TM classification in ICD and demonstrates through coding examples how to code TM concepts alongside Western Medicine concepts.

Yoga and massage are associated with small experimental placebo effects in chronic orofacial pain

“…CIHA have been gaining popularity and are used either in substitution or in conjunction with conventional medicine (Ernst, 2022; Reddy & Fan, 2022). These approaches consist of a wide array of treatments that can be categorized by their mode of delivery such as Mind and Body Practices (MBPs, e.g., relaxation techniques, yoga, etc.…”

Overview of the Development of Chinese Medicine in North America

“…In 2022, the International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision (ICD-11) is officially in effect. [2][3][4] Chapter 26, Traditional Medicine, was first forever published in this international standard of diseases classification and the technical terms mostly compiled from TCM which indicated that TCM is now officially entering the world health system.…”

Strategy for Integration

“…Another development has been the 11 th revision of the International Classification of Diseases, issued by the WHO which came into effect in January 2022 [10]. It has endorsed traditional medicine paradigms by integrating the coding of diagnostic concepts from both traditional and conventional Western medicine for Chinese medicine as practiced in China, Japan and Korea [11]. This new chapter (Chapter 26) of the 11 th revision of the International Classification of Diseases has been created and has included traditional medicine signs and symptoms, disease names, patterns, indications for treatment and interventions.…”