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Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Activity in Switzerland: A Systematic Review and Bibliometric Analysis
Bingjun Chen1,2, Xiaoying Lv1,3, Koryna Lottenbach1
1Research Department, Swiss University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Bad Zurzach, Switzerland.
Introduction:
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is becoming popular in Switzerland; however, Swiss TCM research activity and scientific output have not been investigated. The objective of this work was to describe the Swiss TCM research activities and main health conditions studied.
Methods:
A systematic literature search of PubMed (covering databases such as MEDLINE, life science journals and online books) and Embase was performed from database inception to December 31, 2023. Articles describing a TCM-related therapy modality in humans with at least one author affiliated with a Swiss institution were selected for the study. The primary outcome was the main health condition studied. Secondary outcomes were the total number of articles published over time, the TCM therapies used, and the Swiss institutions involved.
Results:
Of the 223 published articles included in the final analysis, 68.2% originated from the top 3 of 73 Swiss institutions: the University of Zurich (32.3%), University of Bern (30.0%), and University of Basel (7.6%). Overall, 116 (52.0%) articles described original studies containing primary data. The top health category studied was pain management (16.4%). The most used TCM therapies were acupuncture and moxibustion (61.2%).
Conclusion:
Until 2023, the total number of scientific TCM output by Swiss authors is steadily increasing but remains small. More effort to conducted TCM research and elucidate the TCM therapy effects in Switzerland is warranted.
