WHO publishes training standards for Anthroposophic Medicine
WHO publishes training standards for Anthroposophic Medicine

WHO publishes training standards for Anthroposophic Medicine

02 April 2023 Sebastian Jüngel 5155 views

Since 2014 the WHO has worked towards integrating traditional, complementary and integrative medical approaches worldwide into healthcare systems. After Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine, the organization now also published training standards for Anthroposophic Medicine that will have global validity.

The WHO aims for quality assurance in traditional, complementary and integrative medicine. In 2017 it accordingly started assessing, based on WHO criteria, the training standards of Anthroposophic in a rigorous international peer review process. “The outcome of this process can give orientation to policy makers, healthcare professionals and training institutions,” explains Dr Kim Sungchol, head of the WHO Department of Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine, in the recently published ‘WHO Benchmarks for Training in Anthroposophic Medicine’.

“The training standards recently published by the WHO are fully in accordance with the training guidelines used in Anthroposophic Medicine today,” says Dr Matthias Girke, head of the Goetheanum‘s Medical Section. Because Anthroposophic Medicine is interdisciplinary, these benchmarks apply to physicians, nurses, therapists, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals. The WHO document also includes a glossary of central technical terms in Anthroposophic Medicine.

Dr Thomas Breitkreuz, president of the International Federation of Anthroposophic Medical Associations (IVAA), says this is “an important step towards integrating Anthroposophic Medicine into national healthcare systems”, adding that “we welcome these WHO standards and are ready to work with any national healthcare authority in order to incorporate them into professional training and development.”

English by Margot M. Saar

Online Launch Symposium (in English) 12 April 2023, 2 pm CEST, organized by the International Federation of Anthroposophic Medical Associations, the Medical Section at the Goetheanum and the Confederation of Anthroposophic Medicine in Germany (Dachverband Anthroposophische Medizin in Deutschland, DAMiD)

Web WHO Benchmarks for Training in Anthroposophic Medicine (in English)

Generic image Marion Debus, oncology (Photo: Medical Section at the Goetheanum)