Expectations of chiropractic patients: the construction of a questionnaire

Because chiropractic has increasingly been incorporated into the National Health Services and insurance company policies, it is important to evaluate treatment outcome and patient satisfaction. There are conflicting views about whether expectation plays a role in patient satisfaction.

To design a questionnaire that can be used to identify patients' expectations of chiropractic management.

A series of 5 questionnaires relating to patients' expectations of chiropractic management was tested for validity in patients who reported having low back pain of more than 2 weeks duration and a history of a total of 30 days with low back pain within the last year.

A final questionnaire was produced, and the information collected indicates that patients' main expectations of the chiropractor are an accurate diagnosis, an explanation of the complaint or affliction, and treatment that results in a positive outcome.

Preliminary results indicate that patients expect to consult a knowledgeable professional who communicates well and provides effective treatment. We are confident that the final questionnaire can be successfully used in future studies to explore the relationship between patient expectations and satisfaction.