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The RCCM 2009 Survey: mapping doctoral and postdoctoral CAM research in the United Kingdom

The RCCM 2009 Survey: mapping doctoral and postdoctoral CAM research in the United Kingdom
The RCCM 2009 Survey: mapping doctoral and postdoctoral CAM research in the United Kingdom
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is widely available in the UK and used frequently by the public, but there is little high quality research to sustain its continued use and potential integration into the NHS. There is, therefore, a need to develop rigorous research in this area. One essential way forward is to train and develop more CAM researchers so that we can enhance academic capacity and provide the evidence upon which to base strategic healthcare decisions. This UK survey identified 80 research active postgraduates registered for MPhils/PhDs in 21 universities and were either current students or had completed their postgraduate degree during the recent UK Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2001-2008. The single largest postgraduate degree funder was the university where the students registered (26/80). Thirty-two projects involved randomized controlled trials and 33 used qualitative research methods. The UK RAE also indicates a significant growth of postdoctoral and tenured research activity over this period (in 2001 there were three full time equivalents; in 2008 there were 15.5) with a considerable improvement in research quality. This mapping exercise suggests that considerable effort is currently being invested in developing UK CAM research capacity and thus inform decision making in this area. However, in comparative international terms UK funding is very limited. As in the USA and Australia, a centralized and strategic approach by the National Institute of Health Research to this currently uncoordinated and underfunded activity may benefit CAM research in the UK
complementary medicine, survey, mapping
1741-427X
Robinson, Nicola
96ec8bbf-fd1e-4ce2-be99-17eb1051fed9
Lewith, George
0fc483fa-f17b-47c5-94d9-5c15e65a7625
Robinson, Nicola
96ec8bbf-fd1e-4ce2-be99-17eb1051fed9
Lewith, George
0fc483fa-f17b-47c5-94d9-5c15e65a7625

Robinson, Nicola and Lewith, George (2009) The RCCM 2009 Survey: mapping doctoral and postdoctoral CAM research in the United Kingdom. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. (doi:10.1093/ecam/nep184).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is widely available in the UK and used frequently by the public, but there is little high quality research to sustain its continued use and potential integration into the NHS. There is, therefore, a need to develop rigorous research in this area. One essential way forward is to train and develop more CAM researchers so that we can enhance academic capacity and provide the evidence upon which to base strategic healthcare decisions. This UK survey identified 80 research active postgraduates registered for MPhils/PhDs in 21 universities and were either current students or had completed their postgraduate degree during the recent UK Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2001-2008. The single largest postgraduate degree funder was the university where the students registered (26/80). Thirty-two projects involved randomized controlled trials and 33 used qualitative research methods. The UK RAE also indicates a significant growth of postdoctoral and tenured research activity over this period (in 2001 there were three full time equivalents; in 2008 there were 15.5) with a considerable improvement in research quality. This mapping exercise suggests that considerable effort is currently being invested in developing UK CAM research capacity and thus inform decision making in this area. However, in comparative international terms UK funding is very limited. As in the USA and Australia, a centralized and strategic approach by the National Institute of Health Research to this currently uncoordinated and underfunded activity may benefit CAM research in the UK

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More information

Published date: 17 November 2009
Keywords: complementary medicine, survey, mapping

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 73630
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/73630
ISSN: 1741-427X
PURE UUID: 081c9dd6-8c5b-4b09-86ed-088f1ca271c7

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Date deposited: 10 Mar 2010
Last modified: 13 Mar 2024 22:13

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Contributors

Author: Nicola Robinson
Author: George Lewith

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