An exploratory analysis of selected textbooks enlisted by the Central Council of Indian Medicine for the Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine & Surgery program.
Mrityunjay Dwivedi, Kishor Patwardhan.
Abstract
Introduction: The Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM), recently transformed as National Commission of Indian Systems of Medicine (NCISM) is the governing body that regulates the graduate and post-graduate education in Ayurveda in India. The present study was aimed to critically evaluate the quality of some selected textbooks enlisted by CCIM for each pre-clinical, paraclinical and clinical phases of the graduate program [This study is not based on the curriculum notified by NCISM which deals with BAMS 1st Professional only].
Methods: A preliminary list of textbooks was prepared based on the list included in the CCIM curriculum & published during the last five years to ensure the availability of the most updated content. A total of eight books written in English were selected so that at least one book representing one professional program of BAMS was included. Five important aspects were considered while analyzing these textbooks: Basic information, production quality and professional outlook, content quality, presentation, and ethical issues. Both the authors of this manuscript assessed the books independently based on the criteria evolved for the purpose. The results were tabulated on a spreadsheet by both the authors concurrently.
Results: The study found that the production quality of any of the books included did not meet the expected standards. Most of them fell short of the definition of comprehensiveness. No books in our study contained recent advances in the form of references to research papers and other concerned books. Some books were found to have some ethical issues too.
Conclusion: The study suggests that there is much scope for improvement in the quality of content of these textbooks.
The full paper can be accessed at: An exploratory analysis of selected textbooks enlisted by the Central Council of Indian Medicine for the Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine & Surgery program.