Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
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Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 2004; 9: 46
The objective is twofold: to validate cases and look for CAM interventions that deserve further investigation, and to contribute validated information to patients who consider CAM therapies.
NAFKAM has established a continuous register to validate best and worst cases after CAM use. The register is based on spontaneous reports. We encourage CAM therapists, medical practitioners, patients and relatives to report best and worst cases after CAM use. The project aims to collect data from Scandinavia, and has initiated collaboration with six Scandinavian patient organisations. NAFKAM selects cases related to serious and life-threatening disease for follow-up with quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative data include information that is collected in the best-case programme series at the National Cancer Institute in the USA. Qualitative data focus on the patients’ understanding and perception of the course of disease. An independent expert panel will regularly review and evaluate the collected information.
The project has now (June 2004) received 110 communications from patients, relatives, alternative therapists and medical doctors. We have selected 35 cases for further collection of quantitative data. The qualitative data collection will start in 2004.
NAFKAM has established a continuous register based on spontaneous reports of best and worst cases following CAM use. Selected cases are followed up with collection of quantitative and qualitative data and evaluation by an independent expert panel. The register cannot provide data on incidence. The objective is to contribute validated information to CAM users and to search for interventions that can be researched in a controlled setting.
