Abstract
The objective is to establish the standard of criteria for differential diagnosis of signs and symptoms. This study selected signs and symptoms related to heart which stands for Fire(火) as a kind of five phase(五行). Eleven experts was asked to evaluate the adequateness of criteria which was developed by Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine(KIOM) and to suggest the amendment of them. To implement the study, we used the questionnaire which asks about the diagnosis criteria for an insufficiency of the heart-qi(心氣虛證), deficiency of the heart blood(心血氣證), deficiency of the heart-yin(心陰虛證), insufficiency of the heart-yang(心陽虛證), exuberant fire due to hyperactivity of the heart(心火亢盛證), stagnation of the heart blood(心血瘀阻證), heart disturbed by phlegm-fire(痰火擾心證), attack of the heart by retainedfluid(水氣凌心證). Every criteria consists of primary symptoms, secondary symptoms, tongue findings. and pulse findings. In perspectives of the classification of patterns for signs and symptoms and criteria for diagnosis, the result shows that the previous standard doesn't have so many problem. So many of experts were agree with the criteria which was suggested but the trend is that they use, in their actual practice, less than the criteria. Additionally, they pointed that every element in a criterion should have the different weight value, criteria for the overlapped pattern should be added, and, in future, criteria which are based on clinical investigation should be established.
