Korean medicine doctors’ views on Western medicine and Korean medicine collaborative treatment in Korea: study protocol for a qualitative study

Introduction: Recently, there has been a growing interest in the collaboration between Western Medicine and Korean Medicine (WMKM) in Korea. Various research projects, including a national pilot project for WMKM collaborative treatment by the government, are being conducted. However, clinicians continue to face difficulties while conducting WMKM collaborative treatments in the clinical field. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the opinions of clinicians regarding the perceptions, experiences, barriers, and future improvement strategies using a qualitative approach. Methods: Focus group interviews will be conducted for 1) private hospitals, 2) national hospitals, and 3) university hospitals. Each focus group will consist of no more than six Korean Medicine doctors as the interviewees. A semi-standardized open-ended questionnaire will be used. Coding and analysis will be based on qualitative content analysis methods. Based on the questions, the codes, subcategories, and categories will be drawn. Member checks, triangulation, audit, and peer debriefing methods will be used for trustworthiness. Results: The qualitative analysis will address the following research questions: 1) What is the experience and perception of collaborative treatment including its advantages and disadvantages? 2) What are the barriers in a well-organized and effective collaborative treatment? and 3) What support policy is needed? Discussion: This qualitative research will help overcome the limitations of previous studies and present new strategies for improvement in WMKM collaborative treatment. Conclusion: This protocol will enhance the trustworthiness of our research.