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Developing integrative primary healthcare delivery: adding a chiropractor to the team
Michael J Garner1, Michael Birmingham, Peter Aker
1Carlington Community and Health Services, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. michaelgarner@gmail.com
Explore (New York, N.Y.)
|January 16, 2008
Summary
Integrating chiropractic care into multidisciplinary teams improved provider trust and perceptions of chiropractic effectiveness. This study demonstrates successful chiropractic integration within primary healthcare settings.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Integration
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine
- Primary Care
Background:
- Increasing use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in Canada.
- Limited research on the integration of CAM practitioners into multidisciplinary healthcare teams.
- CAM lacks coverage under universal public health insurance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of integrating chiropractic care on healthcare provider attitudes.
- To assess changes in perceptions regarding chiropractic within multidisciplinary teams.
Main Methods:
- Mixed methods design (quantitative and qualitative) over 18 months.
- Involved multidisciplinary teams at two community health centers in Ottawa, Ontario.
- Included physicians, nurse practitioners, and nurses; a chiropractor was introduced to each team.
Main Results:
- Increased provider willingness to trust chiropractors in shared care (P = .004).
- Growing positive perceptions regarding the legitimacy (P < .001) and effectiveness (P < .001) of chiropractic care.
- Twelve providers participated for the full 18-month study duration.
Conclusions:
- Successful integration of chiropractors into primary healthcare teams.
- Demonstrated positive shifts in provider attitudes towards chiropractic care.
- Highlights the potential for enhanced collaboration between conventional and chiropractic practitioners.
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