Health care decision- makers in the U.S., Canada and Europe have called for better evidence for the safety and effectiveness of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). A rapidly growing number of people are using CAM, often without this evidence. Credible research requires good outcome measures. The purpose of this workshop is to develop guidelines for measuring health related quality of life (HRQOL) in CAM research. The workshop will address the major methodological issues central to cooperation between conventional and complementary medicine researchers, and to appropriate and evidence based integration of health services. The conference participants will develop a broad research agenda to stimulate and coordinate national and international work in the coming years and will disseminate our expert consensus findings by publishing the report in a leading medical journal. The formal goal of the workshop is to increase the frequency and quality of HRQOL measurement in complementary and conventional medicine research. The objectives are to: 1. Recommend the most useful group of tools for measuring HRQOL in CAM and conventional medicine research. 2. Identify priority issues in complementary medicine HRQOL measurement for clinicians and researchers. 3. Clarify research needs in CAM for generic and disease specific measurement. 4. Pinpoint strengths and weaknesses of existing HRQOL measures for complementary and conventional medicine. The workshop design is highly interactive, with each 60-90 minute module facilitated by a team of two participants, one from conventional medicine and one from complementary medicine. The sessions will be professionally facilitated, taped and transcribed, and then summarized for publication. The workshop will include 20 outstanding international experts in either HRQOL measurement and/or CAM, from Canada, the U.S. and Europe. The workshop is scheduled for May 5 - 7, 2000 and will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia.
