Development and implementation of ICD‐11 traditional medicine chapter“1st International Symposium on Kampo Medicine”

To The Editor The traditional medicine (TM) chapter in the 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD11) has been newly introduced as a result of many years of activity. This is an epoch-marking step that may influence the various TMs used throughout the world. Kampo medicine has been developed as the traditional Japanese medicine, apart from the traditional Chinese medicine, and is widely used in daily clinical practice. Since Kampo medicine is used under a unified medical system in Western medicine, diagnosis is performed in Western medicine using the other chapters of ICD, and Kampo medicine diagnosis should include the codes of the TM patterns. In this symposium, in addition to summarizing the TM chapter0s development process, the issues of domestic implementation in China and Japan, including Japanese acupuncture and moxibustion, will be discussed. The first presentation is ‘Development of TM Chapter of ICD-11.’ In the 72nd World Health Assembly in 2019, ICD-11 was endorsed. The development of the new TM chapter started in 2005, by WHO Western Pacific Regional Office (WHO WPRO). In 2008, the beta version of the international classification of TM was developed. In 2009, this development was passed to the WHO headquarter, and the expanded TM conference was held in Hong Kong. The development of the TM chapter in the WHO headquarter was officially launched in 2010, with the simultaneous press release in Geneva and Tokyo. An international team was formed to develop the TM chapter, including China, Japan, Korea, Australia, the United States, the UK, and so on. Despite many challenges in the development, the team overcame them one by one, and the new chapter was finalized in 2018. ICD-11 is planned to start implementation in 2022. The TM chapter is expected by TM practitioners; however, at the same time, there are many criticisms. We need to show that the TM chapter is feasible and contributes to the global health statistics, through the implementation of this new chapter. The second presentation is ‘Implementation of ICD11 TM1 in China.’ In 2018, the National Health Commission had already officially issued a document to promote the clinical application of ICD-11, which includes the TM chapter. To make a good connection between GB (Guo jia Biao zhun)95, GB97, and ICD-11 and promote the localization of ICD-11 TM module 1 (TM1), the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SATCM) has revised GB95 and GB97 and has officially issued GB2021 as a replacement standard. GB2021 has 1369 disorders and 2060 patterns. We have performed a two-way mapping between GB2021 and ICD-11 TM1. We are also trying to put together a complete coding system compliant with national standards and taking into account the ICD-11 TM1. In 2021, we conducted tests in 22 hospitals in Shanghai and obtained some preliminary information. We will continue to gather more feedback and establish a collaborative mechanism for information sharing for possible future revision. The third presentation is ‘Implementation of ICD-11 TM Chapter in Japan.’ To promote the domestic implementation of the ICD-11 TM chapter in Japan, it is necessary to educate medical professionals on Kampo medicine. Since Kampo medicine is practiced within the framework of modern medicine in Japan, it is considered by experts to use the ICD codes of Western medicine for diagnosis and to add TM patterns mainly. Kampo medicine specialists need to understand the description of the codes that they handle. Health information managers, who are the experts of coding in Japan, need to understand how to use the TM chapter. Currently, we are planning to promote education centered on the codes that include the Japanese proposal. We are also translating the entire description in the TM chapter so that it can be used in a more advanced way. Initially, the TM chapter is expected to be used for research purposes. After the transition to the new ICD is completed, the clinical data of Kampo practice will be gradually Received: 19 May 2022 Revised: 21 June 2022 Accepted: 22 June 2022