Objective. Abdominal examination (AE) is one of the essential diagnostic methods in traditional Korean medicine that has been widely used for deciding treatment, cause, and prognosis of the disease. AE majorly depends on the experience of practitioners; therefore, standardization and quantification of AE are desperately needed. However, few studies have tried to objectify AE and established its standard. We assessed the reliability and validity of newly developed diagnostic device for AE called modified algometer (MA). Methods. Thirty-six subjects with functional dyspepsia were allocated into one of 2 groups according to gold standard of AE: epigastric discomfort without tenderness ( = 23) group or epigastric discomfort with tenderness ( = 13) group. Pressure pain threshold was evaluated at participants' epigastric region with algometer and MA. We assessed reliability and validity (sensitivity and specificity) and calculated optimal cutoff value. Results. MA showed high intertrial reliability (ICC 0.849; 0.703-0.923; < 0.000) and validity (sensitivity: 76.92%; specificity: 60.87%), and cutoff value was 330.0 mmHg. Algometer and MA showed moderate correlation ( = 0.583, ≤ 0.000). Conclusion. MA can be reliable and valid diagnostic device for AE and has the possibility of practical use for quantification and standardization of AE.

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Objective: This study investigated the perception, diagnosis, and treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in the general population, in patients, and in Korean medicine doctors (KMDs) in order to provide basic information for the development of Korean medicine clinical practice guidelines for IBS.Methods: A questionnaire was developed in two versions, one for the general population/patients and one for KMDs. The questions were about the general perception, diagnosis, and treatment of IBS. Both online and offline surveys were conducted using these questionnaires.Results: In total, 213 general population/patients and 435 KMDs responded to the survey. The results of the analysis were as follows. Most of the KMDs diagnosed IBS based on clinical aspects. Acupuncture was the most common treatment, followed by prescription herbal medicine, moxibustion, and manufactured herbal medicine. 34.3% of KMDs used clinical practice guidelines for IBS patient treatment. 57.8% of patients were diagnosed with IBS by doctors at primary medical institutions, and 53.1% were diagnosed with colonoscopy. More than half of the IBS patients who have been treated with Korean medicine said they experienced improvement of symptoms and prevention of recurrence, but more than 70% of the respondents said future safety and effectiveness studies of Korean medicine were needed.Conclusions: In spite of the positive perception of IBS treatment with Korean medicine, actual utilization was relatively low. The development and promotion of, as well as education about, appropriate and reasonable Korean medicine practice guidelines for IBS is necessary.

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