title: An investigation into the reliability of Chinese medicine diagnosis according to Eight Guiding Principles and Zang-Fu Theory in Australians with hypercholesterolemia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chinese medicine distinguishes itself from Western medicine in the differentiation of diseases according to underlying patterns of disharmony, or Chinese medicine (CM) syndromes. CM has its own clinical endpoints that are used as evidence of change in the body. Yet, relatively little is known about the reliability of CM diagnostic techniques, the final diagnosis of a CM syndrome, or the organizing principles used to reach a CM diagnosis such as the Eight Guiding Principles. Information about reliability of CM diagnosis has important implications for clinical practice and research, particularly if CM diagnostic variables or CM syndromes are to be incorporated into study designs.
  
  
  METHODS
  An inter-rater reliability study was conducted with three CM practitioners to investigate the reproducibility of CM diagnosis according to the Eight Guiding Principles and Zang-Fu Theory. Forty-five (45) adults with mild hypercholesterolemia but who were otherwise healthy participated in the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our results suggest that there is a reasonably good level of agreement between at least two practitioners on the dimensions of the Eight Guiding Principles. Level of agreement between at least two practitioners on CM syndrome diagnosis according to Zang-Fu Theory was very good for one syndrome only, that of Spleen qi deficiency.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further investigations are needed into the reliability of the CM diagnostic processes from the initial stage of data collection to the final CM syndrome diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health, Engineering and Science, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia. kylie.obrien@vu.edu.au
authors.forename: Kylie A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: Estelle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Abbas
authors.forename: Jiansheng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhi-Xin
authors.initials: ZX
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Ruizhi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bensoussan
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Komesaroff
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012107:Research Design; D014739:Victoria; D016711:Yang Deficiency / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016710:Yin Deficiency / Q000175:diagnosis*