In the past

researches on TCM clinical effect evaluation were mainly focused on single dimensional outcome measures

without the comprehensive analysis involving the multiple dimensional evaluations taken into consideration.Data envelopment analysis （DEA） is a new field of operational research

management science and a mathematical economics overlapping with each other and a non-parameter economical estimating method used to evaluate the relative validity of many policy-making units.Because of its overwhelming superiority in processing the multi-inputs and multi-outputs

DEA is applicable to make the comprehensive evaluation on multiple indices of the complicated TCM intervention treatment.Moreover

the application of DEA in the comprehensive evaluation of TCM effect is helpful to make the TCM effect evaluation studies more close to the clinical reality.