Development and validation of Sasang Urination and Defecation Inventory (SUDI) for pathophysiological symptoms of Sasang typology

Resting Metabolic Rate for Diagnosing Tae-Eum Sasang Type and Unraveling the Mechanism of Type-Specific Obesity

Increased resting metabolic rate (RMR), representing augmented energy expenditure, is a preferred physical characteristic; however, the Tae-Eum Sasang type, with a high incidence of obesity and metabolic diseases, has a higher RMR. This study scrutinized the physical characteristics of Sasang typology, a traditional Korean personalized medicine, to resolve this discrepancy, which can unravel the mechanism of Tae-Eum-type-specific obesity and improve the Tae-Eum Sasang-type diagnosis. A total of 395 healthy participants provided Sasang-type diagnosis using Sasang Constitutional Analysis Tool and physical features, including skeletal muscle mass, body fat mass, and RMR, along with those standardized using body weight. The Tae-Eum-type group showed significantly higher body weight, body mass index, body fat mass, and unstandardized RMR (kcal/day) than others, while their standardized measures of RMR per weigh (RMRw, kcal/day/kg) and percent skeletal muscle (PSM, %) were significantly lower. The logistic regression model revealed that the RMRw is pivotal for discriminating Tae-Eum type from others and explaining the developmental mechanism of Tae-Eum-type obesity. The aforementioned might provide a theoretical framework for Sasang-type diagnosis and Sasang-type-specific health promotion using bodily exercise and medical herbs.

Machine Learning Applications for the Development of a Questionnaire to Identify Sasang Constitution Typology

Sasang constitutional medicine emphasizes personalized disease prevention and treatment and has been used in various fields. Nevertheless, more efforts are required to improve the validity and reliability of the Sasang analysis tools. Hence, this study aimed to (1) identify key constructs and measurement items of the Sasang constitution questionnaire that characterize different Sasang constitutions and (2) investigate the similarities and differences in pathophysiological and personality traits between Sasang constitutions. The results of the Sasang constitution questionnaire were analyzed using multiple machine learning-based approaches, including feature selection, hierarchical clustering analysis, and multiple correspondence analysis. The selected 47 key measurement items were clustered into six groups based on the similarity measures. The findings of this study are expected to be beneficial for future research on the development of more robust and reliable Sasang conservation questionnaires, allowing Sasang constitutional medicine to be more widely implemented in various sectors.

Developing a best practice framework for clinical competency education in the traditional East-Asian medicine curriculum

BACKGROUND

While clinical competency is crucial for traditional East-Asian medical education, available studies on the educational system for fostering clinical performance are scarce. This study aimed to review the educational system, curriculum, facilities, and management of current traditional East-Asian medicine in a well-established university of Korea and develop a Best Practice Framework (BPF) of clinical competency education.

METHODS

The clinical competency education system in Pusan National University School of Korean Medicine was systematically described through 5 steps of governance of the educational system, competency of the graduates, educational resources, assessment strategies and tools, and gaps in the curriculum. We also reviewed the experiences in education and the points to be improved.

RESULTS

The Office of Traditional Korean Medicine Education governs the development, implementation, and evaluation of the educational curriculum for cultivating students' clinical competency. Medical students have undertaken 39 modules of clinical biomedicine and 21 of traditional medicine during the clinical clerkship courses in an affiliated hospital, Clinical Skill Practice Center, clinical research center, practice lab for medical herb, and other locations. After training, 15 modules of simulated clinical training using standardized patients, students' clinical competency are evaluated by a Clinical Performance Test using a Clinical Performance Examination (CPX) and an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) for biomedical and traditional medical skills.

CONCLUSIONS

A clinical competency framework is required for a qualified physician of traditional East-Asian medicine. This study reviewed the current well-organized educational system of Korean traditional medicine in detail, which can be used for the BPF of competency-based clinical education. We expect the current study to be a representative reference for establishing an educational system of traditional medicine such as acupuncture and medical herbs in other countries.

Urinary Function of the Sasang Type and Cold-Heat Subgroup Using the Sasang Urination Inventory in Korean Hospital Patients

Introduction

The Sasang type-specific pathophysiological symptom is pivotal for the Sasang type classification and pattern identification. The Sasang Urination and Defecation Inventory (SUDI) for urinary function analysis was developed; however, the clinical usefulness of urination-related subscales of SUDI in the Sasang type and Cold-Heat subgroup was not reported with acceptable validation analysis.

Methods

The clinical diagnosis of the Sasang type and Cold-Heat subgroup, responses to SUDI items, and weight and height of the 350 hospital patients were acquired retrospectively. The Sasang Urination Inventory (SUI) with SUI-CHR (problematic physical characteristics of urine), SUI-HSS (hypersensitivity of urinary urgency and high frequency), and SUI-DIS (urinary discomfort of hesitancy and residual urine sense) subscales using 12 items of SUDI were improvised. The item and construct validity of the SUI were examined using item response theory and confirmatory factor analysis, and the clinical usefulness of the SUI in Sasang type and Cold-Heat subgroup differentiation was attested.

Results

The SUI and its subscales showed acceptable structural validity and have clinical usefulness in the Tae-Eum type. The Tae-Eum type has a significantly higher SUI-CHR score than did the So-Yang type, and the Heat subgroup has a significantly higher SUI-HSS score than did the Cold subgroup in the Tae-Eum type. Discussion. The distinctive Sasang type- and Cold-Heat subscale-specific pathological symptoms in urinary function were revealed using the SUI. The SUI combined with objective Sasang typology measures might be useful for integrative precision medicine combining Eastern and Western practice and for evidence-based clinical education for medical professions.