Journal of Traditional Medicine & Clinical Naturopathy
Open Access

Abstract

So how does Herbal and Traditional Medicine Make Horizon for Nature Cure fit into the title “Safety – a Global Health Care Issue”? Perhaps a better question would be where does it not fit? Safety must be everywhere – in everything we do, create, discuss, design, manufacture, develop, and practice – everything! Why should I be talking with you about Safety? I am the only person in the world who has the pleasure of representing three powerful, relevant organizations to our work: • World Health Organization (WHO) – developing diagnostic codes ICD-TM11 • Quality care and patient safety (WHO) globally • International Standards Organization (ISO) focused on safety in herbs, devices and formulas including common vocabulary and standards for international classification and safety. WHO Family of Classification ICD codes are used to count mortality, morbidity and co-morbidities. If the world does not count Traditional Medicine using ICD codes, Traditional Medicine does not count. Quality of care and patient safety is a world-wide concern in Health Care. Whether it is interventions, Acupuncture, Ayurveda, Naturopathy, Herbal Medicines or Homeopathy, each field presents elements of risk – thus the need for safe procedures, processes and protocols. Globally, hundreds of thousands of lives are lost each year due to adverse events. Events that might have been prevented had safe procedures, processes and protocols had been studied, implemented, and consistently reviewed. The World Health Organization has responded to the issue of adverse events by establishing a technical advisory group to begin addressing safety and global health care issues by creating a new classification in ICD-11. This classification will cut across all the established classifications. It will include Acupuncture, Herbal Medicines, vitamins and minerals, and Manipulative Therapies and includes adverse events in Western Medicine. This is the first time adverse events have been studies globally. The International Standards Organization has established a Technical Advisory Group (TAG-249) to create standards for the following: • Single herbs • Herbal formulations • Needle manufacturing • Other devices used in the practice of Acupuncture • Informatics A document has been created by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in the United States to establish common formats. The common formats will assist with facilitating the collection of patient safety data globally. With common standards clinical and patient safety systems can share integrated data interchange formats, standard formats for electronically encoded information. Think about the impact global common language, global standards and the ability to share information about safe practice, as well as the ability to regularly monitor those safe practices, procedures and protocols will have on patients, practitioners, and positive world knowledge based on our work together.

Biography

Marilyn Allen did her education course in Westmont College –Santa Barbara, California China June 2015. Teacher at 17 Acupuncture Schools throughout the US. Courses include Practice Management: management, marketing, public relations and health insurance information; and Land & Ethics. Provider of lunch to all Acupuncture students taking the California Board Licensing Exam. 100 students are tested every year. Distribute a bag filled with information about suppliers, samples and malpractice to each student who takes the state exam in CA. Present commencement speeches, speeches, talks at ‘brown bag lunches’at various schools around the US. American Acupuncture Council insures the majority of the Acupuncture schools. Attend and sponsor the leaders in Acupuncture luncheon yearly. Work with the Council of State associations. Sponsor a luncheon for the presidents of all Acupuncture Schools in the US twice a year. Consultant: Educational Programs, Practice Management, Ethics & Jurisprudence, Marketing. Her publications include: Acupuncture Today- Editor (National monthly publication), Points for Profit- Author (Textbook for Clinical Management classes), Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Journal, Back Talk: Monthly health publication for patients, California Chiropractic Association Journal, California Society of Oriental Medicine Journal, Journal of Oriental Medicine.

E-mail: marilynallen @aol.com