Qualitative research on TCM complex interventions-the experience and cognition of Chinese patients

Introduction: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a complex intervention. The experience and cognition of patients in the process of diagnosis and treatment play an important role in understanding the components of a TCM intervention. This study aimed to identify the therapeutic components involved in a TCM complex inter-vention by interviewing patients with chronic conditions in China.Methods: Purposive sampling was used in this qualitative study. After providing informed consent, hospital pa-tients suffering from chronic conditions were recruited to the semi-structured interviews. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Nvivo12 software was employed and thematic analysis was used to identify the key issues reported.Results: From the 25 patients recruited into this study, 491 initial codes were generated. Four sub-themes emerged relating to patients' experiences: their physical experiences, psychological experiences, social experi-ences and patients' self-management. Additionally, four sub-themes related to patients' cognition of TCM complex intervention were identified: the holistic concept of "treatment targets the root of the disease", indi-vidualized treatment, diversity and comprehensiveness of TCM therapy, and doctor-patient communication.Conclusion: Patients' TCM experience included multiple components: biological, psychological, social, cognitive and behavioural, which potentially contribute to specific and non-specific effects. Clinical research to evaluate the effectiveness of TCM should consider using mixed-methods to explore these components.