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In the twenty‐first century and under the knowledge economy, knowledge is regarded as an important asset for many organizations. In the area of Chinese medicines, be it a research center, a pharmacy, a drug manufacturer, a government supervision authority, a medical doctor or even a patient, the mastering and application of knowledge are an essential factor for success. However, there is very little research on knowledge management for Chinese medicines, which has its own special characteristics. This paper aims to study this problem and to propose a conceptual model for knowledge management of Chinese medicines.

This paper first analyses the requirements of knowledge management in Chinese medicines. Then, making reference to Nonaka's knowledge transformation model, the application of information technology in different stages of knowledge transformation for Chinese medicines is reviewed. Based on the above studies, a conceptual model of knowledge management for Chinese medicines is recommended.

The requirements of knowledge management in Chinese medicines are analysed and specified in basic attributes, prescriptions and formulae, rules of ingredients combination, and pharmaceuticals management. The information technologies that can be used at different stages of transformation are also reviewed. Finally, a four‐layer model, containing the network and computer system layer, data layer, knowledge services layer and application layer, is described.

At present, there is no knowledge management product in the market that is designed for Chinese medicines. This paper helps to initiate studies for solutions in this area.

The primary new idea here is to propose a conceptual knowledge management model for Chinese medicines. The model can be used as a framework to further develop a practical knowledge management system for Chinese medicines.

The aim of this study is to investigate teachers' attitudes towards medicines and to determine what they are willing to teach children about medicines. This study is part of a larger project where medicine education materials accessible on the internet (www.uku.fi/laakekasvatus, in Finnish with English introduction) were designed, developed, and evaluated.

The data were collected from a convenience sample of primary (n=11) and junior secondary (n=3) schoolteachers who attended three focus group discussions (FGDs). Before the FGDs, the teachers had taught three medicine education sessions based on medicine education curriculum materials to their own classes.

Three different types of teachers were found: empowering (n=6), paternalistic (n=6), and material evaluating (n=2). An empowering teacher was ready to facilitate the empowerment of children as medicine users. A paternalistic teacher wanted to teach children the dangers of medicines and also the importance of a healthful lifestyle. The material evaluating type of teacher commented mainly on the usefulness of the medicine education materials without expressing any attitude towards medicines.

Because of the small number of teachers participating in this study, it may be regarded as a pilot study that generated a hypothesis. Results need to be verified with a larger sample of teachers and with quantitative research methods before generalizations can be made.

This study suggests a need to educate teachers about what medicine education is and how it could be taught with an empowering approach.

The purpose of this paper is to strengthen and standardize general hospital use of traditional Chinese medicine, strengthen the inner construction, highlight the characteristics and advantages of Chinese medicine and improve Chinese medicine services' capacity and competitiveness.

Through data analysis and face‐to‐face interviews, the influential factors for Chinese medicine use in general hospitals are found and the extent and impact of these factors are researched. Based on survey results, grey relational analysis is used to analyze the actual factors.

Based on the results of grey relational analysis, a clear order of these factors on the degree of influence is obtained and suggestions are offered which can promote the development of traditional Chinese medicine in general hospitals.

The grey system theory was applied in medical management. The influential factors for Chinese medicine use in general hospitals was analyzed by using grey relational analysis, to offer the relevant departments several operational recommendations which can accelerate the development of general hospital use of traditional Chinese medicine.

The purpose of this paper is to improve the development of the Chinese traditional medicine (included the ethnic minority's medicine in China), it can raise the level of health for people, carry forward the culture of our nation, accelerate the economic development, promote social harmony and is very significant.

In this paper, the factor which influences the development of the Chinese traditional medicine in these areas of China is analysed by the method called the grey relational analysis and grey clustering analysis.

It is known that the comparative situation of each otherof the development of the Chinese traditional medicine in these areas. The causation is analysed.

The behavioural mechanisms information which is effected by the traditional Chinese medicine (included ethnic minority medicine) is incomplete. Its inherent meaning is not clear. So it is reasonable to use the method called the grey relational analysis grey clustering analysis to study. Analysing the causes and giving countermeasures according to the results could propose some suggestions for the further development of Chinese medicine (including the national medicine) industry.

The grey system theory was applied in medical management. The application of study results, the development of the Chinese traditional medicine (included the ethnic minority's medicine in China) is improved.

A new model of multidisciplinary team working with health and social care is being developed in Exeter. This article describes how inclusion of a domiciliary pharmacist in the team has improved medicines management for patients with long‐term conditions and for adult patients identified as needing support with their medicines. Initial results are discussed, case studies are described and future developments for the service are outlined.

The purpose of the paper is to report on a study that investigated the critical success factors (CSFs) in the supply chain management of essential medicines in the public health-care delivery system in Malawi.

The exploratory and descriptive study followed a qualitative and quantitative research approach. Data were collected by means of semistructured interviews and a questionnaire administered to suppliers of essential medicines, regulators, donors and logistics companies in Malawi. Data was analyzed using SPSS.

The findings revealed that the significant CSFs are knowledge of disease patterns and prevalence, skills and experience of personnel, adequate financial resources, collaboration with supply chain partners and an efficient procurement and distribution system.

There were a number of limitations in this study. Although every effort was made to carefully and purposefully select the participants for the in-depth interviews in the first phase of the study and the respondents for the questionnaire in the second phase of the study, they were not randomly selected. As such, the findings cannot be generalised to all stakeholders in the pharmaceutical supply chain in Malawi. However, they can be used as a basis for further research on the topic.

No previous studies that deal with the identification of CSFs in the Malawi pharmaceutical supply chain were found. Therefore, this research makes a twofold contribution to the body of knowledge in the field. First, it identifies CSFs; second, it could assist stakeholders in the public health-care service delivery system in Malawi with regard to how they can improve the supply of essential medicines.

The purpose of this paper is to describe and discuss the use of Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China and Asia.

This paper provides a brief overview of the COVID-19. Based on the syndrome differentiation (辨證論治), the concept of clearing heat and detoxifying lung in traditional Chinese medicine is used to prevent and treat COVID-19 through restoring the vital qi (正氣) in human body and regulating the lung as well as spleen to strengthen the immune system. Traditional Chinese medicine has been used as a complementary therapy for the possible intervention of COVID-19 including traditional Chinese herbal decoctions, Chinese traditional patent medicines, acupuncture and moxibustion as well as the traditional health exercises in China and parts of Asia.

Traditional Chinese medicine plays a significant role in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 pandemic. The infection cases of China are around 80,000 and a steady decline compared with the USA which has 5,000,000 infection cases and continuous increases. It is shown that more than 90% of patients recovered after the treatment of traditional Chinese herbal decoctions and Chinese traditional patent medicines without any side-effect compared to the use of Remdesivir (GS-5734). Acupuncture (針灸) and moxibustion (艾灸) stimulate the immune and nervous systems for preventing infectious diseases. Taichi (太極) and Baduanjin (八段錦) as the auxiliary aerobic exercise under the theory of Chinese medicine can enhance the immune system and improve the lung function. Thus, an integration of traditional Chinese Medicine and Western medicine is the best strategy for the prevention, treatment and control of COVID-19 pandemic in the future.

This paper describes traditional Chinese medicine as an effective way for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

Using the pharmaceutical sector as a microcosm of the health sector, we highlight the most prevalent structural and policy issues that make this sector susceptible to corruption and ways in which these vulnerabilities can be addressed. We conducted a literature review of publications from 2004 to 2015 that included books, peer-reviewed literature, as well as gray literature such as working papers, reports published by international organizations and donor agencies, and newspaper articles discussing this topic. We found that vulnerabilities to corruption in the pharmaceutical sector occur due to a lack of good governance, accountability, transparency, and proper oversight in each of the decision points of the pharmaceutical supply chain. What works best to limit corruption is context specific and linked to the complexity of the sector. At a global level, tackling corruption involves hard and soft international laws and the creation of international standards and guidelines for national governments and the pharmaceutical industry. At a national level, including civil society in decision-making and monitoring is also often cited as a positive mechanism against corruption. Anticorruption measures tend to be specific to the particular “site” of the pharmaceutical system and include improving institutional checks and balances like stronger and better implemented regulations and better oversight and protection for “whistle blowers,” financial incentives to refrain from engaging in corrupt behavior, and increasing the use of technology in processes to minimize human discretion. This chapter was adapted from a discussion piece published by Transparency International UK entitled Corruption in the Pharmaceutical Sector: Diagnosing the Challenges.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as a topic of research and as an approach within the health care delivery system has become increasingly accepted. Aided by the holistic movement, and after a century and a half of striving for legitimacy, CAM is also increasingly becoming more accepted by mainstream medicine. This chapter reviews the social sources of disparities in use of CAM, with a greater focus on English-speaking countries, and especially the US. This chapter will briefly highlight the basic underlying principles of CAM as linked to its history and discuss types of CAM. The major focus of this chapter will be a review of the literature on social factors and use of CAM, looking at such factors as age, gender, socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity and immigration status, and health status. As part of this, we will also discuss the integration of CAM and conventional care. In conclusion, future directions for social science research in CAM will be discussed, specifically elaborating on the importance of the social sciences linking CAM with other growing interests in health and wellness.

There is sufficient evidence to prove that the improved health status of a nation’s citizens results in economic growth and development via improved functionality and productivity of labor. It is also commonly accepted that healthcare expenditure significantly influences health status through, for instance, improving life expectancy at birth and reducing morbidity, death, and infant mortality rates. Within healthcare, medicines account for a considerable share of health-related expenditure in both developed and developing countries. Therefore, it seems reasonable to assume that improved access to medicines is likely to contribute not only to the well-being of families and individuals but also to the economic growth and development in all societies. It has been widely advocated that pharmaceutical multinational enterprises (MNEs) can play an important role to address this problem, as they develop and supply a significant proportion of the drugs imported by low- and middle-income countries. This chapter is dedicated to a systematic review of literature in order to identify the strategies implemented by pharmaceutical MNEs to improve access to medicines in the low- and middle-income countries. A total of 76 research articles have been identified, and we have found that the main strategies of pharmaceutical MNEs are related to improving health outcomes through R&D, establishing partnerships for product development, pricing strategies to improve access to medicines, technology transfer, licensing agreements, and nonmarket efforts to improve access to medicines, among other strategies to overcome barriers imposed by intellectual property rights. We have also found that pharmaceutical MNEs’ strategies take place within a complex system and often involve interactions with a wide range of actors, such as international organizations, governments, private not-for-profit sector, universities and research institutes, and generic manufacturers. However, there is still a need for major progress in the field of access to medicines, and pharmaceutical MNEs should be more active in this field in order to avoid potential negative consequences, such as loss of legitimacy and compulsory licensing of their patented medicines.