Expert Consensus on Key Terminology in the Field of Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) in Germany

Expert Consensus on Key Terminology in the Field of Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) in Germany - NHK/TCIM-Delphi

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

DRKS

Registry ID

DRKS00040313

Enrollment

Registered

2026-06-11

Start date

2026-07-15

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-08-03

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Terminology research in the field of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine (TCIM)

Interventions

Group 1: Modified Delphi consensus procedure with a national expert panel (approx. 50 participants from academia, clinical practice, professional associations, health insurance, health policy, and p

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: At least one of the following conditions must be met: (A) Researcher or clinician with demonstrable expertise in TCIM/naturopathy: professor or chair holder in TCIM/naturopathy in Germany; or habilitated with research focus on TCIM/naturopathy; or at least 10 peer-reviewed publications in TCIM/naturopathy; or at least 1 peer-reviewed publication and 10 years of clinical experience in TCIM/naturopathy – and member of ACoNIG or the Forum of University Working Groups for Naturopathy and Integrative Medicine. (B) Chair of a German-speaking professional association in the TCIM/naturopathy field. (C) Representative of a statutory or private health insurance with responsibility for TCIM services or prevention. (D) Representative of a health policy organisation or healthcare decision-making body (e.g. Federal Joint Committee G-BA, medical chamber, consumer protection, patient representation). (E) TCIM patient or representative of the general public with heterogeneous background (age, education, region, experience with TCIM). For all categories: willingness to participate in all survey rounds; availability for structured online participation; informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Lack of subject-matter expertise in naturopathy and integrative medicine; exclusively administrative role without substantive involvement; relevant conflicts of interest that could compromise independent assessment; unwillingness to participate in all survey rounds; absence of informed consent.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
WHAT: Degree of consensus (percentage agreement = 70%) for defined core terms in naturopathy and TCIM in Germany (incl. Naturheilkunde, Integrative Medicine, Complementary Medicine, Alternative Medicine, Traditional Medicine, Conventional Medicine) WHEN: After each Delphi round; final evaluation after completion of all rounds (by December 2027 at the latest) HOW: online survey via Welphi (5-point Likert scale, pseudonymised); quantitative analysis: frequencies, median, IQR	—

Measure

Time frame

WHAT: Degree of consensus (percentage agreement = 70%) for defined core terms in naturopathy and TCIM in Germany (incl. Naturheilkunde, Integrative Medicine, Complementary Medicine, Alternative Medicine, Traditional Medicine, Conventional Medicine) WHEN: After each Delphi round; final evaluation after completion of all rounds (by December 2027 at the latest) HOW: online survey via Welphi (5-point Likert scale, pseudonymised); quantitative analysis: frequencies, median, IQR

—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Development of a hierarchical taxonomy of the consensualised terms; documentation and transparent reporting of persistent points of dissent after completion of all rounds.	—

Countries

Germany

Contacts

Public ContactJulia Schiele

Universitätsklinikum Augsburg

julia.schiele@med.uni-augsburg.de01590 675 1433

Outcome results

None listed

Source: DRKS (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Aug 10, 2026