193265 Health promotion in chiropractic practice: 2010 and 2005 NBCE practice surveys

Monday, November 9, 2009: 3:06 PM

John K. Hyland, DC MPH , National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, Greeley, CO
Mark G. Christensen, PhD , National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, Greeley, CO
Martin W. Kollasch, DC , National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, Greeley, CO
Objective: To determine the frequency with which doctors of chiropractic currently provide health promotion, disease prevention, and self-care advice to their patients, and to compare with a previous survey.

Methods: The recurring profession-wide surveys by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) summarize the practice of chiropractic in the United States based on the responses of more than 2,100 full-time chiropractors from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Survey respondents report information on their daily tasks and professional responsibilities. Seven items were added to the Job Analysis of Chiropractic 2005 inquiring about the provision of health promotion and wellness care procedures. Five years later, the Practice Analysis of Chiropractic 2010 included the same questions, and added one more.

Results: In 2004, all 7 health promotion/wellness care procedures investigated were routinely performed by more than 90% of responding chiropractors, and the majority (>50%) of their patients received 6 of the 7 procedures. After data review in August 2009, the new results will be compared with the previous survey, and the frequency of smoking cessation counseling will also be reported.

Conclusions: Doctors of chiropractic report that they frequently provide health promotion services, thereby addressing many of the preventable health conditions associated with personal decisions and lifestyle choices. Growing public acceptance of chiropractic health care combined with the population's increased need for health counseling to prevent chronic diseases means that these practitioners can have a significant impact on the public's health and wellness.

Learning Objectives:
Identify the proportion of chiropractors who report providing smoking cessation counseling to their patients. Explain the apparent decrease in the proportion of chiropractors who report that they provide ADL training to their patients.

Keywords: Health Promotion, Wellness

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: 20 years of clinical practice as a chiropractor (DC), MPH in Health Education and Health Promotion, Experience teaching Public Health and Wellness courses at 3 chiropractic colleges, I assisted in the design and editing of the health promotion sections of the 2005 and 2010 surveys being discussed.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.