Analysis of herbal medicine prescriptions for patients in an academic Korean medical hospital: A cross sectional study of electronic medical records (2010-2013)

Chin J Integr Med. 2017 Oct 6. doi: 10.1007/s11655-017-2903-0. [Epub ahead of print] Lee BW1,2, Lee HY3, Heo KH4, Cho HW5, Hwang MS6, Heo I5, Shin BC5,7, Hwang EH8,9. Author information 1 Department of Classics and Medical History, College of Korean Medicine, Dongguk University, Gyeongju, 38066, Republic of Korea. 2 Dongje Medical Co., Ltd., Gyeongju, 38066, Republic of Korea. 3 Department of Korean Medicine, Yeongam Public Health Center, Yeongam, 58421, Republic of Korea. 4 Department of Third, Green Oriental Hospital, Bu-cheon, 14582, Republic of Korea. 5 Department of Korean Medical Science, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, 626-870, Republic of Korea. 6 Department of Rehabilitation Medicine of Korean Medicine, Dae-Jeon Korean Medicine Hospital, Dae-Jeon University, Dae-Jeon, 34929, Republic of Korea. 7 Department of Rehabilitation Medicine of Korean Medicine, Korean Medicine Hospital, Pusan National University, Yangsan, 50612, Republic of Korea. 8 Department of Korean Medical Science, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, 626-870, Republic of Korea. taichi20@gmail.com. 9 Department of Rehabilitation Medicine of Korean Medicine, Korean Medicine Hospital, Pusan National University, Yangsan, 50612, Republic of Korea. taichi20@gmail.com. Abstract OBJECTIVE: To obtain fundamental information for the standardization of herbal medicine in Korea. METHODS: We analyzed the herbal medicine prescription data of patients at the Pusan National University Korean Medicine Hospital from March 2010 to February 2013. We used the Dongui-Bogam (Dong Yi Bao Jian) to classify prescribed herbal medicines. RESULTS: The study revealed that the most frequently prescribed herbal medicine was 'Liuwei Dihuang Pill (LWDHP, )' which was used for invigorating 'Shen (Kidndy)-yin'. 'LWDHP' was most frequently prescribed to male patients aged 50-59, 60-69, 70-79 and 80-89 years, and 'Xionggui Tiaoxue Decoction (XGTXD, )' was most frequently prescribed to female patients aged 30-39 and 40-49 years. According to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes, 'Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue' showed the highest prevalence. 'LWDHP' and 'XGTXD' was the most frequently prescribed in categories 5 and 3, respectively. Based on the percentage of prescriptions for each sex, 'Ziyin Jianghuo Decoction ()' was prescribed to mainly male patients, and 'XGTXD' with 'Guima Geban Decoction ()' were prescribed to mainly female patients. CONCLUSION: This study analysis successfully determined the frequency of a variety of herbal medicines, and many restorative herbal medicines were identified and frequently administered. KEYWORDS: Chinese medicine; Dongui-Bogam; electronic medical record; herbal medicine; herbal medicine prescription; traditional Korean medicine PMID: 28986811 DOI: 10.1007/s11655-017-2903-0