Development and validation of a Prototype Prakriti Analysis Tool (PPAT): Inferences from a pilot study.

Prakriti, for its tangible impacts upon decision making in Ayurvedic clinical practice, requires a thorough and fool-proof method of examination. Conventional methods adopted for Prakriti examination are found inconsistent with huge inter- and intra-rater inference variability. By observing the gaps in the field, the present study aims to develop a prototype Prakriti analysis tool and its evaluation on inter-rater validity grounds. The study observes that Vata and Pitta constructs of Prakriti identification in Ayurveda have a significant inter-rater correlation (P ` 0.001 and P ` 0.01), whereas Kapha has less (P ` 0.02) correlation. It is inferred that for less correlated variables like those of Kapha, a better understanding is required to reach a better consensus.