Dynamic Chiropractic
REPORTS HERE "Chiropractors are making a quiet, but significant contribution to
our nation's health. Why quiet? Few people outside of our profession
know how much public health work we do every day in chiropractic
practice. And how would they know? Chiropractors tend to speak 'chiro-ese.'"
"...we would be doing our profession a huge favor if we
learned and used the language of health when speaking about what we do.
"The
Practice Analysis of Chiropractic 2010 (formerly the
Job Analysis of Chiropractic)
is compiled by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners every five
years. It offers a summary of what is happening in chiropractic
practice, what kinds of patients we see, what techniques we use, what
additional interventions we do, etc. This document says a lot about the
important public health work that chiropractors do every day in
practice."
"Another important document comes from
the "Healthy People" project in the form of
Healthy People 2000, Healthy People 2010, and the draft
Healthy People 2020
documents. For those of you who haven't reviewed the Healthy People
documents, they are considered the main "road map to health" in America.
They list the main indicators of our nation's health, what our goals
are to improve in these top areas, and how we might get there."
The article then provides a "contrast between what we are doing in practice and how
we tell others about our contribution to health in America, using these
documents as resources."
| What We Do in Practice |
Using the Language of Health to Describe It |
| Teaching patients to avoid hurting their backs |
Injury prevention |
| Recommending changes in lifestyle |
Health promotion |
| Taking a patient's blood pressure |
Preventive screenings |
| Recommending that patients quit smoking |
Smoking cessation recommendations |
"Of course, first and foremost, chiropractors adjust the spine and
other joints of the body (depending on their state's scope of practice
and the chiropractor's philosophy). One important impact of this
chiropractic care is the reduction of back pain. Back pain is one of the
top health concerns listed in the Healthy People 2010 document and will reappear as a major health concern in the Healthy People 2020 document."
"But are we speaking the language of health? The language that all
health professionals speak and the context in which health policy
decisions are made? Obviously and unfortunately, not so much. Unless we
speak of chiropractic care as contributing to the Healthy People goals,
no one will know that we have a role to play."
"Beyond the chiropractic adjustment, it gets even more imperative that
we learn to speak the language of health. According to the Practice Analysis of Chiropractic, DCs are doing the very activities recommended in the Healthy People goals. For example, one objective listed in HP 2010
is to increase the proportion of physician office visits for chronic
health diseases or conditions that include counseling or education
related to exercise....According to the Practice Analysis of Chiropractic 2010,
96.5 percent of chiropractors recommend physical activity to their
patients. It seems we are "walking the walk," but we may not be letting
people know that chiropractors are significant contributors to meeting
this important Healthy People goal. By speaking the language of health,
particularly with other health care professionals, we position ourselves
to be increasingly valued as important members of the health care team."
"Another excellent example relates to the topic of nutrition or
healthy dietary practices. About 95 percent of chiropractors in the Practice Analysis report that they give advice on nutrition to their patients. Healthy People sets this goal for our nation: Increase the proportion of physician offices visits that include counseling or education related to nutrition or weight."
"...participating in positive public health
practices are so second-nature to chiropractors that we fail to realize
what a big deal it is. The pressures that managed care has placed on
medical professionals has severely limited the amount of time that
doctors can spend on promoting health and wellness. While chiropractors
have also felt the financial squeeze of functioning within this health
care system, we continue to do a great deal of health promotion with our
patients. Since health promotion and prevention practices are
increasingly valued in health care, it is time for chiropractors to
speak out loudly and clearly..."
"Here are some simple steps
to help our profession become a more recognized contributor to the
nation's health efforts: Chiropractors must familiarize themselves with nationally known public health documents, like Healthy People 2010, Healthy People 2020 (when it comes out), and the Guide to Clinical Preventive Services.
"We should speak about what we do in chiropractic practice in the context of these health documents."
"We must become fluent in the language of health (see table)"
"We must conduct research on the depth and impact of our health promotion and prevention efforts in chiropractic practice..."
"We must write about what we do."
"We must become active members in national health organizations such as the American Public Health Association."
