Chiropractic patient characteristics at a VA outpatient facility

The inclusion of chiropractic services within the VA started in September 2004. Since the inception of chiropractic in the VA, very little data has been produced on chiropractic patient characteristics or validated outcomes measures. Little detailed data currently exists on presenting chief complaints, demographics, treatments, or outcomes. A retrospective descriptive study was conducted detailing this information from all 241 new chiropractic patients who presented at the Rochester VA from March 2005 to March 2006. During that time, intake material on these patients included: presenting complaint, chronicity of the complaint, baseline Owsestry disability score, Fear Avoidance Belief questions, and Visual Analog Scale (x4). Information already available through CPRS included: age, sex, ethnicity, service connection, and current medication status. Since December 2005, Oswestry or Neck disability scores have been collected on chiropractic patients every 4 visits to allow standardized measurable outcomes to be taken. This study utilized this already captured data from every patient who completed intake in the chiropractic clinic at Rochester VA prior to the end of March 2006.