Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41232122›Full record

ArticleJournal of global health2025

WHO global research priorities for traditional, complementary, and integrative (TCI) medicine: an international consensus and comparisons with LLMs.

Sangyoung Ahn, Jiali Zhou, Denan Jiang, Steven Kerr, Yajie Zhu, Peige Song, Igor Rudan, WHO TCI medicine CHNRI group

Abstract readComparative StudyConsensus Statement
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of global health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Sangyoung AhnNational Institute for Korean Medicine Development, Gyeongsan-si, Republic of Korea.
Jiali ZhouSchool of Public Health, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Denan JiangInternational School of Medicine, International Institutes of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Yiwu, Zhejiang, China.
Steven KerrCentre for Medical Informatics, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
Yajie ZhuSchool of Information Science and Technology, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Peige SongSchool of Public Health, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Igor RudanCentre for Global Health, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
WHO TCI medicine CHNRI group

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Traditional, complementary, and integrative (TCI) medicine is an essential component of health systems worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Despite its widespread use, existing research on the safety, efficacy, and integration of TCI medicine within conventional healthcare systems is fragmented. This fragmentation highlights the urgent need for a clearly defined global research agenda to guide future studies, secure funding, and inform governance in this field. Methods: The Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine Unit at the World Health Organization Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland coordinated an international research priority-setting exercise using the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative (CHNRI) method between June and December 2023. We invited a purposive sample of 120 experts from established academic networks to participate; 53 experts (44.16% response rate) contributed, and 34 of them scored 157 unique research ideas according to five CHNRI criteria: feasibility, effectiveness, deliverability, equity, and potential for disease burden reduction. Additionally, we performed a comparative analysis by generating research priorities using large language models (LLMs), including ChatGPT-4o, Claude 3.5, and Grok 3, and these outputs were compared with the expert-derived priorities. Results: Top-ranked research priorities focused on chronic disease management (e.g. diabetes, dyslipidemia), geriatric safety (e.g. herb-drug interactions), mental health (e.g. resilience and mood disorders), and integration of TCI into health systems. Priorities varied by income setting. Comparison with LLM-generated lists showed thematic overlap in efficacy and safety but divergence in focus, with LLMs emphasising research capacity, policy, and systems-level priorities. Conclusions: We established a global, expert-informed research agenda to guide the future direction of TCI medicine and ensure alignment with public health needs. The comparison with LLMs highlights the complementary potential of artificial intelligence in research governance and agenda-setting.

Indexed as

Biomedical ResearchComplementary TherapiesGlobal HealthIntegrative MedicineMedicine, TraditionalResearchHumansWorld Health Organization

Identifiers

PMID41232122
PMCPMC12615007

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.