Chiropractic conservatism among chiropractic students in Denmark: prevalence and consequences

Area of Science:

• Chiropractic education
• Medical education
• Evidence-based practice

Background:

• The chiropractic profession is divided between evidence-based practitioners and those influenced by vitalism (chiropractic conservatism).
• The University of Southern Denmark (SDU) offers a university-based chiropractic program integrated with a medical faculty.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the prevalence of chiropractic conservatism among chiropractic students at SDU.
• To investigate the relationship between conservatism and academic year.
• To evaluate clinical appropriateness and its association with conservatism.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey of 146 chiropractic students (3rd-5th year) and interns at SDU.
• Conservatism levels were assessed and linked to academic year using linear regression.
• Clinical appropriateness was evaluated through case studies and analyzed using logistic regression.

Main Results:

• Most students exhibited low conservatism scores, which decreased with higher academic years.
• Seventy percent of students were in the lowest two conservatism groups.
• Conservatism (categories 1-3) showed a moderate, non-significant association with difficulty recognizing non-indications; however, three outliers (category 4) demonstrated highly inappropriate clinical case management.

Conclusions:

• University-based chiropractic programs integrated with medical faculties can mitigate chiropractic conservatism.
• While conservatism is present, the SDU program appears to reduce its impact on clinical decision-making compared to other institutions.