Background
Methods
Questionnaire development
Questionnaire administration
Data management and storage
Statistical analysis
Results
Characteristics of respondents
Year of administration | 2010 | 2019 |
---|---|---|
No. of respondents | 251 | 162 |
Age, mean (SD) | 51 (10) | 50 (10) |
Gender, n (%) a | ||
Male | 150 (60%) | 80 (51%) |
Female | 101 (40%) | 77 (49%) |
Years in practice, n (%) | ||
< 5 years | 19 (8%) | 14 (9%) |
5 to 10 years | 34 (14%) | 25 (15%) |
11 to 20 years | 50 (20%) | 36 (22%) |
> 20 years | 148 (59%) | 87 (54%) |
Country of origin, n (%) b | ||
Canada | 193 (78%) | 104 (67%) |
United States | 6 (2%) | 2 (1%) |
Other | 49 (20%) | 50 (32%) |
Practice environment, n (%) c | ||
Community | 153 (61%) | 116 (72%) |
Private practice | 130 (52%) | 55 (34%) |
Hospital-based | 55 (22%) | 47 (29%) |
Multidisciplinary | 45 (18%) | 32 (20%) |
Academic | 31 (12%) | 16 (10%) |
Patient population with musculoskeletal complaints, n (%) d | ||
< 10% | 5 (2%) | 26 (16%) |
10 to 20% | 46 (19%) | 41 (25%) |
21 to 30% | 71 (29%) | 34 (21%) |
31 to 40% | 59 (24%) | 29 (18%) |
41 to 70% | 58 (23%) | 52 (32%) |
> 70% | 10 (4%) | 7 (3%) |
Clinical area, n (%) d | ||
General family | 236 (94%) | 145 (90%) |
Geriatrics | 52 (21%) | 29 (18%) |
Pediatrics | 48 (19%) | 19 (12%) |
Palliative care | 45 (18%) | 32 (20%) |
Emergency medicine | 44 (18%) | 39 (24%) |
Obstetrics & gynecology | 39 (16%) | 22 (14%) |
Psychotherapy | 38 (15%) | 13 (8%) |
Pain medicine | 34 (14%) | 24 (15%) |
Sports medicine | 33 (13%) | 16 (10%) |
Occupational medicine | 14 (6%) | 5 (3%) |
Anesthesia | 7 (3%) | 4 (3%) |
Knowledge of and experience with chiropractic
Year of administration | 2010 | 2019 |
---|---|---|
No. of respondents | 251 | 162 |
Sources of information on chiropractic, n (%)a | ||
Patient feedback | 210 (84%) | 121 (75%) |
Relationship with a specific chiropractor | 105 (42%) | 51 (32%) |
Research literature | 94 (38%) | 67 (41%) |
Personal treatment experience | 85 (34%) | 66 (41%) |
Family and friends | 79 (32%) | 48 (30%) |
Medical school | 50 (20%) | 39 (24%) |
Media | 44 (18%) | 21 (13%) |
Professors/supervisors/mentors | 43 (17%) | 29 (18%) |
Residency | 11 (4%) | 10 (6%) |
Frequency of patient referral for chiropractic treatment, n (%) b | ||
Daily | 3 (1%) | 1 (1%) |
Weekly | 46 (18%) | 26 (17%) |
Monthly | 79 (32%) | 51 (33%) |
Every year | 56 (22%) | 30 (19%) |
Never | 67 (27%) | 49 (31%) |
Number of patients referred for chiropractic care per year, n (%) c | ||
1 to 10 | 86 (34%) | 57 (36%) |
11 to 25 | 52 (21%) | 34 (21%) |
26 to 50 | 32 (13%) | 17 (11%) |
> 50 | 14 (6%) | 10 (6%) |
None | 67 (27%) | 42 (26%) |
Reason for chiropractic referral, n (%) a,d | ||
Patient request | 140 (56%) | 97 (68%) |
Non-response to medical treatment | 103 (41%) | 63 (44%) |
Literature supports chiropractic care | 73 (29%) | 41 (29%) |
Relationship with a specific chiropractor | 57 (23%) | 29 (20%) |
Personal experience as a chiropractic patient | 29 (12%) | 23 (16%) |
Other reasons | 17 (7%) | 9 (6%) |
Attitudes towards chiropractic
Item | Agree, n (%) | Undecided, n (%) | Disagree, n (%) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | 2019 | 2010 | 2019 | 2010 | 2019 | |
Chiropractors promote unnecessary treatment plans | 121 (48%) | 65 (40%) | 86 (34%) | 52 (32%) | 44 (18%) | 45 (28%) |
Chiropractors provide effective therapy for some musculoskeletal conditions | 216 (86%) | 130 (80%) | 20 (8%) | 20 (12%) | 15 (6%) | 12 (7%) |
Chiropractors make excessive use of radiographic imaging | 83 (33%) | 58 (36%) | 107 (43%) | 57 (35%) | 61 (24%) | 47 (29%) |
Chiropractors provide a patient centered approach | 112 (45%) | 75 (46%) | 111 (44%) | 70 (43%) | 28 (11%) | 17 (11%) |
I have to spend time correcting erroneous information patients have received from chiropractors | 81 (32%) | 53 (33%) | 48 (19%) | 33 (20%) | 122 (49%) | 76 (47%) |
Chiropractic manipulation of the neck is generally a safe therapy | 59 (24%) | 37 (23%) | 70 (28%) | 54 (33%) | 122 (49%) | 71 (44%) |
Chiropractors can provide effective therapy for some non- musculoskeletal conditions (e.g. asthma, colic, etc.) | 13 (5%) | 9 (6%) | 37 (15%) | 37 (23%) | 201 (80%) | 116 (72%) |
Family physicians may risk professional liability if they refer a patient to a chiropractor | 50 (20%) | 36 (22%) | 74 (30%) | 54 (33%) | 127 (51%) | 72 (44%) |
Chiropractors can reduce patient overload for family physicians with respect to patients with musculoskeletal complaints | 119 (47%) | 94 (58%) | 62 (25%) | 34 (21%) | 70 (28%) | 34 (21%) |
Chiropractors provide patients with misinformation regarding vaccination | 96 (38%) | 58 (36%) | 120 (48%) | 74 (46%) | 35 (14%) | 30 (19%) |
Chiropractic provides effective therapy for post-surgical rehabilitation | 35 (14%) | 38 (24%) | 152 (61%) | 81 (50%) | 64 (26%) | 43 (27%) |
Chiropractors lack sufficient clinical training | 44 (18%) | 25 (15%) | 110 (44%) | 60 (37%) | 97 (39%) | 77 (48%) |
Chiropractic care is a useful supplement to conventional medicine | 163 (65%) | 106 (65%) | 55 (22%) | 30 (19%) | 33 (13%) | 26 (16%) |
Chiropractors engage in overly aggressive marketing | 107 (43%) | 57 (35%) | 95 (38%) | 51 (31%) | 49 (20%) | 54 (33%) |
Chiropractic includes ideas and methods from which conventional medicine could benefit | 109 (43%) | 68 (42%) | 84 (34%) | 62 (38%) | 58 (23%) | 32 (20%) |
The results of chiropractic manipulation are due to the placebo effect | 33 (13%) | 23 (14%) | 89 (36%) | 62 (38%) | 129 (51%) | 77 (48%) |
Chiropractors treat in accordance with evidence-based practices | 36 (14%) | 42 (26%) | 141 (56%) | 75 (46%) | 74 (30%) | 45 (28%) |
Chiropractic has no role in the routine care of my patients | 75 (30%) | 36 (22%) | 43 (17%) | 35 (22%) | 133 (53%) | 91 (56%) |
Chiropractic breeds dependency in patients on short-term symptomatic relief | 88 (35%) | 55 (34%) | 68 (27%) | 52 (32%) | 95 (38%) | 55 (34%) |
Overall, my impression of chiropractic is favorable | 118 (47%) | 80 (49%) | 68 (27%) | 43 (27%) | 65 (26%) | 39 (24%) |
Variable | Unstandardized regression coefficient from univariable analysis (95% CI) | p-value | Unstandardized regression coefficient from multivariable analysis (95% CI) | p-value |
---|---|---|---|---|
Year of survey administration (2019 v. 2010) | 0.16 (−0.17 to 0.48) | 0.34 | 0.31 (0.001 to 0.62) | 0.05 |
Age (for each 10-year increment from age 28) | −0.75 (−1.99 to 0.49) | 0.24 | −1.55 (−2.67 to − 0.44) | 0.007 |
% of practice dedicated to musculoskeletal complaints | 0.24 (−0.51 to 0.99) | 0.53 | 0.16 (−0.51 to 0.83) | 0.48 |
Belief that adverse events are common with chiropractic care | −1.42 (− 2.66 to − 0.19) | 0.02 | − 1.41 (− 2.59 to − 0.23) | 0.02 |
Information source for chiropractic a | ||||
-Patient feedback | 1.93 (− 1.24 to 5.10) | 0.23 | 1.61 (− 1.29 to 4.51) | 0.28 |
-Relationship with a specific chiropractor | 7.74 (5.26 to 10.22) | < 0.001 | 5.24 (2.85 to 7.64) | < 0.001 |
-Research literature | −7.05 (−9.54 to −4.57) | < 0.001 | −6.04 (−8.47 to −3.61) | < 0.001 |
-Personal treatment experience | 8.65 (6.17 to 11.12) | < 0.001 | 4.63 (2.14 to 7.11) | < 0.001 |
-Family and friends | 6.50 (3.85 to 9.14) | < 0.001 | 4.06 (1.53 to 6.60) | 0.002 |
-Professors/supervisors/mentors | −5.12 (−8.41 to −1.83) | 0.002 | −2.23 (−5.37 to 0.92) | 0.17 |
-Media | −4.17 (−7.57 to −0.77) | 0.02 | −1.39 (− 4.59 to 1.82) | 0.40 |
-Medical school | −5.51 (−8.52 to −2.49) | < 0.001 | − 5.03 (− 7.89 to − 2.18) | 0.001 |