Defining primary care and the chiropractic physicians' role in the evolving health care system

doi:10.1016/S0899-3467(07)60021-4

Journal of Chiropractic Medicine

Volume 1, Issue 1, Winter 2002, Pages 3-8

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0899-3467(07)60021-4 Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective

To review the literature assessing current trends within primary health care and its delivery and the role of the chiropractic primary care physician.

Data Sources

Select papers which offer definitions of primary care.

Data Synthesis

Several influential papers offer criteria necessary to be considered primary care practitioners.

Results

Primary care is comprehensive, coordinated, continuous and accessible. Chiropractic care meets this definition.

Conclusion

The primary care chiropractic physician is a viable and important part of the primary health care delivery system, with many chiropractic physicians currently prepared to participate effectively and competently in primary care.

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Patient perceptions in New Mexico about doctors of chiropractic functioning as primary care providers with limited prescriptive authority
2011, Journal of Chiropractic Medicine
Citation Excerpt :
The Council on Chiropractic Education advises chiropractic schools to educate and train students to become competent doctors of chiropractic who will provide quality patient care and serve as primary care physicians.4 Chiropractors have an interest in providing primary care and claim to be qualified to perform the functions of a primary care provider.5,6 The Connecticut Chiropractic Association concluded that the chiropractic physicians licensed in Connecticut qualify to provide primary care services based upon the results of a survey of chiropractic college presidents, chiropractic organization leaders, and Connecticut-licensed doctors of chiropractic.7
The purpose of this study was to determine chiropractic patients' perceptions of chiropractors serving as primary care providers and having a limited prescriptive authority.
Four doctors of chiropractic in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, NM, participated in surveying their patients during the summer of 2008. The chiropractors distributed the questionnaires consecutively to chiropractic patients. Patients answered questions regarding their perceptions of their chiropractors, use of chiropractic care, and medications for pain. The participating chiropractors collected the completed patient questionnaires and mailed them to the primary investigator.
The chiropractic providers collected 275 chiropractic patient questionnaires. The number of patient questionnaires collected by each of the 4 participating chiropractors ranged from 35 to 100. The patients primarily sought care for the management and treatment of pain (98.5%), and 57.5% considered that their chiropractors were “primary care providers.” Eighty-five percent preferred that their chiropractor be qualified to prescribe medications and provide hands-on treatment, whereas 97.5% perceived their chiropractors to be chiropractic physicians.
This small group of chiropractic patients from 4 offices in New Mexico perceived that their doctors of chiropractic were physicians and primary care providers, and 85% preferred that their chiropractor treat patients with limited prescriptive authority when appropriately trained.
The ABC's of health promotion and disease prevention in chiropractic practice
2003, Journal of Chiropractic Medicine
To describe the importance of health promotion techniques and use of active disease prevention techniques as part of chiropractic practice through a selective review of literature using a mnemonic device.
There is evidence that doctors of chiropractic use some health promotion techniques in practice such as instruction on exercise, dietary advice, smoking cessation recommendations and the encouraging of preventive chiropractic visits. Healthy People goals for the nation suggest that providers encourage preventive services, work toward better access to care and stress disease prevention. However, information on how this can be routinely done in chiropractic practice is fragmented. This article suggests ways to implement health promotion into the everyday management of the chiropractic patient.
Health promotion and disease prevention can be easily performed in chiropractic practice. The nature of the chiropractic supportive or maintenance visit gives doctors a unique platform on which they can launch full-scale health promotion efforts on their patients.
Screening for Referral of Serious Pathology by Physical Examination Tests in Patients with Back or Chest Pain: A Systematic Review
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Chiropractic: Not all that it's cracked up to be
2020, Chiropractic: Not All That It's Cracked Up to Be
Self-reported recognition of undiagnosed life threatening conditions in chiropractic practice: a random survey
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Original ArticlesDefining primary care and the chiropractic physicians' role in the evolving health care system

Abstract

Objective

Data Sources

Data Synthesis

Results

Conclusion

J Manipulative Physiol Ther

Solving our primary care crisis by retraining specialists to gain specific primary care competencies

JAMA

Why patients use alternative medicine. Results of a National Study

JAMA

Unconventional medicine in the United States: prevelance, costs, and patterns of use

New Engl J Med

Defining primary care

Original Articles
Defining primary care and the chiropractic physicians' role in the evolving health care system