Developing Scenario-Oriented Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinical Practice Guidelines

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinical practice guidelines are important for standardizing practice and supporting evidence-informed decision-making, but their applicability and real-world use remain limited. As clinical needs vary across settings, conventional guideline development approaches are insufficient. This article explores the development of TCM clinical practice guidelines in varied scenarios, focusing on rapid and living guidelines in public health emergencies and clinical application guidelines in drug use scenarios, particularly for Chinese patent medicines (CPMs). It summarizes the current situation, highlights key methodological challenges and proposes scenario-specific strategies, including rapid evidence synthesis, dynamic updating, conflict-of-interest management, and clearer, more implementable recommendations. A scenario-oriented approach may improve the rigor, responsiveness, and applicability of TCM guidelines, thereby promoting the translation of evidence into practice and the high-quality development of TCM healthcare

Alternative medicine · Clinical Practice · Guideline · MEDLINE · Public health · Traditional Chinese medicine · Clinical practice guidelines implementation · Meta-analysis and systematic reviews · Traditional Chinese Medicine Studies