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ECU 2010 George Lewith MA, DM, FRCP, MRCGP
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Prof George Lewith is a qualified physician who has practiced and researched within Complementary and Alternative medicine (CAM) for the last 30 years. His first degree at Trinity College Cambridge was in biochemistry, he then qualified in medicine in 1974 and obtained MRCP in 1977, MRCGP in 1980, MD in 1992 and FRCP in 1997. He trained in acupuncture in China in 1978. He now works at the University of Southampton where he leads an internationally respected CAM and Integrated medicine research group within the department of primary medical. It currently comprises 4 postdoctoral fellows and 5 current PhD students. It has raised over £4 million in research funds and has published over 100 peer reviewed articles since 2001. It is focused on differentiating the specific from the non specific effects of CAM and developing models that will help to explain the patient perceived benefits of these interventions. It is currently interested in Pain, Arthritis and Cancer as illness models investigating the effects of acupuncture, healing, homeopathy and herbal medicines. |
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Lecture
Session 1C
08.30-10.30 |
Grasping the Nettle! Evidence and Fact: What Constitutes Evidence Based Care and the Value of Anecdote in Medical Research
How do we manage our evidence base in primary care in the treatment of chronic conditions such as back pain and acute respiratory infections? What influences patient treatment and treatment outcome and how do we develop safe, effective and evidence-based practice in these areas? There are many lessons that we can learn from primary care in order to develop good clinical practice guidelines for chiropractic and practice responsibly with the limited but growing evidence base available. How can the chiropractic profession progress from clinical anecdote through best practice into evidence-based care? We need to emphasise the need for model validity in relation to the treatment approach we are using, while at the same time being aware of some of the benefits and indeed misconceptions that may be promulgated throughout our training. The profession needs to improve its safety culture and seek to continually review and develop its approach to clinical care. This can only be achieved by enabling an enquiring approach that will engage the profession, improve practice and provide the evidence that will allow chiropractors to challenge the fundamental assumptions of practice and change and develop their clinical management in a thoughtful and professional manner.
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