A survey on the clinical practice of herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia management by Korean medicine doctors: towards the development of Korean medicine clinical practice guidelines

This first large-scale study addresses a critical gap, establishing a strong clinical consensus among KMDs prioritizing pain relief using a multimodal strategy (acupuncture, herbal medicine, and pharmacopuncture). The findings highlight the urgent need to standardize objective diagnostic protocols and provide an evidence-informed foundation for developing KM-CPGs, which can effectively complement WM in improving patient outcomes for HZ and PHN.