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Research Article
Jason Walter Busse
McMaster University
Corresponding Author
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Background: Attitudes of Canadian family physicians towards chiropractic are uncertain.
Methods: A 50-item survey administered to a ranmdom sample of Canadian family physcians in 2010, and again in 2019, that inquired about demographic variables, knowledge and use of chiropractic. Imbedded in our survey was an 80-point chiropractic attitude questionnaire (CAQ); higher scores indicated more positive attitudes toward chiropractic.
Results: Among eligible physicians, 251 of 685 in 2010 (37% response rate) and 162 of 2,429 in 2019 (7% response rate) provided a completed survey. Approximately half of respondents (48%) endorsed a positive impression of chiropractic, with 27% expressing uncertainty and 25% holding negative views. Most respondents (72%) referred patients for chiropractic care, mainly due to patient request or lack of response to medical care. Most physicians believed that chiropractors provide effective therapy for some musculoskeletal complaints (84%) and disagreed that chiropractic care was beneficial for non-musculoskeletal conditions (77%). The majority agreed that chiropractic care was a useful supplement to conventional care (65%) but most respondents (59%) also indicated that practice diversity within the chiropractic profession presented a barrier to interprofessional collaboration.
In our adjusted regression model, attitudes towards chiropractic showed trivial improvement from 2010 to 2019 (0.31 points on the CAQ; 95%CI 0.001 to 0.62). More negative attitudes were associated with older age (-1.55 points for each 10-year increment from age 28; 95%CI -2.67 to -0.44), belief that adverse events are common with chiropractic care (-1.41 points; 95% CI -2.59 to -0.23) and reported use of the research literature (-6.04 points; 95% CI -8.47 to -3.61) or medical school (-5.03 points; 95% CI = -7.89 to -2.18) as a source of knowledge on chiropractic. More positive attitudes were associated with endorsing a relationship with a specific chiropractor (5.24 points; 95% CI 2.85 to 7.64), family and friends (4.06 points; 95% CI 1.53 to 6.60), or personal treatment experience (4.63 points; 95% CI 2.14 to 7.11) as sources of information regarding chiropractic.
Conclusions: Although generally positive, Canadian family physicians’ attitudes towards chiropractic are diverse, and most physicians acknowledge that practice diversity within the chiropractic profession presents a barrier to interprofessional collaboration.
Keywords
physicians, chiropractic, attitude of health personnel, survey
No competing interests reported.
This is a list of supplementary files associated with this preprint. Click to download.
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CURRENT STATUS: Under Review
Version 1
Posted 19 Feb, 2021
No community comments so far
Editorial decision: Major revision
On 07 Apr, 2021
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Received 20 Feb, 2021
Reviewers agreed
On 19 Feb, 2021
Reviewers agreed
On 18 Feb, 2021
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 18 Feb, 2021
Editor assigned
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Editor invited
On 16 Feb, 2021
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This preprint is under consideration at BMC Primary Care. A preprint is a preliminary version of a manuscript that has not completed peer review at a journal. Research Square does not conduct peer review prior to posting preprints. The posting of a preprint on this server should not be interpreted as an endorsement of its validity or suitability for dissemination as established information or for guiding clinical practice.
Learn more about In Review
Research Article
Jason Walter Busse
McMaster University
Corresponding Author
Badges
Prescreen
This manuscript passed our Prescreen assessment
Complete author information
Appropriate declaration statements
Potential risks to human health
Prescreen
Peer Review Timeline
CURRENT STATUS: Under Review
Version 1
Posted 19 Feb, 2021
No community comments so far
Editorial decision: Major revision
On 07 Apr, 2021
Reviews received
Received 20 Feb, 2021
Reviewers agreed
On 19 Feb, 2021
Reviewers agreed
On 18 Feb, 2021
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 18 Feb, 2021
Editor assigned
On 16 Feb, 2021
Editor invited
On 16 Feb, 2021
Submission checks complete
On 16 Feb, 2021
First submitted
On 05 Feb, 2021
Metrics
Comments: 0
PDF Downloads: ...
HTML Views: ...
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
Background: Attitudes of Canadian family physicians towards chiropractic are uncertain.
Methods: A 50-item survey administered to a ranmdom sample of Canadian family physcians in 2010, and again in 2019, that inquired about demographic variables, knowledge and use of chiropractic. Imbedded in our survey was an 80-point chiropractic attitude questionnaire (CAQ); higher scores indicated more positive attitudes toward chiropractic.
Results: Among eligible physicians, 251 of 685 in 2010 (37% response rate) and 162 of 2,429 in 2019 (7% response rate) provided a completed survey. Approximately half of respondents (48%) endorsed a positive impression of chiropractic, with 27% expressing uncertainty and 25% holding negative views. Most respondents (72%) referred patients for chiropractic care, mainly due to patient request or lack of response to medical care. Most physicians believed that chiropractors provide effective therapy for some musculoskeletal complaints (84%) and disagreed that chiropractic care was beneficial for non-musculoskeletal conditions (77%). The majority agreed that chiropractic care was a useful supplement to conventional care (65%) but most respondents (59%) also indicated that practice diversity within the chiropractic profession presented a barrier to interprofessional collaboration.
In our adjusted regression model, attitudes towards chiropractic showed trivial improvement from 2010 to 2019 (0.31 points on the CAQ; 95%CI 0.001 to 0.62). More negative attitudes were associated with older age (-1.55 points for each 10-year increment from age 28; 95%CI -2.67 to -0.44), belief that adverse events are common with chiropractic care (-1.41 points; 95% CI -2.59 to -0.23) and reported use of the research literature (-6.04 points; 95% CI -8.47 to -3.61) or medical school (-5.03 points; 95% CI = -7.89 to -2.18) as a source of knowledge on chiropractic. More positive attitudes were associated with endorsing a relationship with a specific chiropractor (5.24 points; 95% CI 2.85 to 7.64), family and friends (4.06 points; 95% CI 1.53 to 6.60), or personal treatment experience (4.63 points; 95% CI 2.14 to 7.11) as sources of information regarding chiropractic.
Conclusions: Although generally positive, Canadian family physicians’ attitudes towards chiropractic are diverse, and most physicians acknowledge that practice diversity within the chiropractic profession presents a barrier to interprofessional collaboration.
No competing interests reported.
This is a list of supplementary files associated with this preprint. Click to download.
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