This section is compiled by Frank M. Painter, D.C. Send all comments or additions to:
Frankp@chiro.org
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Chiropractic Services in the Canadian Armed Forces: A Pilot Project
Military Medicine 2006 (Jun); 171 (6): 572576
This article reports on satisfaction associated with the introduction of chiropractic services within a military hospital, through a Canadian Armed Forces Pilot Project. We distributed a 27-item survey that inquired about demographic information and satisfaction with chiropractic services to 102 military personnel presenting for on-site chiropractic services at the Archie McCallum Hospital in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The majority of military personnel (94.2%) and referring physicians (80.0%) expressed satisfaction with chiropractic services.
Symptomatic Outcomes and Perceived Satisfaction Levels of Chiropractic Patients with a Primary Diagnosis Involving Acute Neck Pain
J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2006 (May); 29 (4): 288296
A total of 115 patients were contacted, of whom 94 became study participants, resulting in 60 women (64%) and 34 men. The mean age was 39.6 years (SD, 15.7). The mean number of visits was 24.5 (SD, 21.2). Pain levels improved significantly from a mean of 7.6 (median, 8.0) before treatment to 1.9 (median, 2.0) after treatment (P < .0001). The overall patient satisfaction rate was 94%.
Back Pain and Satisfaction with Chiropractic Treatment: What Role Does the Physical Outcome Play?
Clin J Pain. 2005 (Jul); 19 (4): 263268
Pragmatic rather than affective variables played some part in predicting satisfaction through global improvement in these patients. This should help to inform future interpretation of clinical trials of chiropractic treatments for back pain. However, the nature of the "unknown" components needs further investigation. There are initial indications in the literature that information giving, and the reconfiguration of patients' perceptions of the problem, may contribute to patient satisfaction generally.
From a number of studies, there is little to contradict the assertion that patient satisfaction with chiropractic care, in a variety of settings, has consistently been high.
1-4 Indeed, for matched back pain conditions, patient satisfaction with chiropractic treatment has invariably been shown to be significantly greater than that with conventional management [administered by a primary care physician, an orthopedist, or an HMO provider]. 5-7 Satisfied patients are far more likely to be compliant in their treatment, 8 theoretically bestowing chiropractic patients with yet another advantage over treatment by other providers in terms of outcomes.
1
Patient Satisfaction With Chiropractic Care
J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1993 (Jan); 16 (1): 2532
Patients expressed high levels of satisfaction with their doctors and the care they received. Although women were slightly more satisfied than men, other patient characteristics such as level of education, income, employment status or previous chiropractic care did not influence response means.
2
The Chiropractic Outcome Study: Pain, Functional Ability and Satisfaction With Care
J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1997 (May); 20 (4): 235240
Based on these results, it seems that patients suffering from back and/or neck complaints experience chiropractic care as an effective means of resolving or ameliorating pain and functional impairments, thus reinforcing previous results showing the benefits of chiropractic treatment for back and neck pain.
3
Patient Satisfaction With the Chiropractic Clinical Encounter: Report From a Practice-based Research Program
Journal of the Neuromusculoskeletal System 2001: 9 (4): 109117
The majority of patients were highly satisfied with their care; 85.0% reported that their chiropractor always listened carefully; 85.3% that the DC explained things understandably; 88.2% that the DC showed respect for what they had to say; and 75.6% that he/she involved them in decisions as much as they wanted. The median proportion of patients, per DC, with a chief
complaint who said their doctor always spent enough time with them was 82% (IQR: 19%) and 82.3% reported that their chiropractors never recommended more visits than necessary.
4
Patient Satisfaction With Chiropractic Physicians in an Independent Physicians' Association
J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2001 (Nov); 24 (9): 556559
Various aspects of chiropractic care were given a rating of "excellent" by the following percentage of respondents: Length of time to get an appointment (84.9%); convenience of the office (57.7%); access to the office by telephone (77.3%); length of wait at the office (75.7%); time spent with the provider (74.3%); explanation of what was done during the visit (72.8%); technical skills of the chiropractor (83.3%); and the personal manner of the chiropractor (92.4%). The visit overall was rated as excellent by 83.3% of responders, and 95.3% stated they would definitely recommend the provider to others.
5
The Outcomes and Costs of Care for Acute Low Back Pain Among Patients Seen by Primary Care Practitioners, Chiropractors, and Orthopedic Surgeons
N Engl J Med 1995 (Oct 5); 333 (14): 913917
The status at six months was ascertained for 1555 of the 1633 patients enrolled in the study (95 percent). The times to functional recovery, return to work, and complete recovery from low back pain were similar among patients seen by all six groups of practitioners, but there were marked differences in the use of health care services. The mean total estimated outpatient charges were highest for the patients seen by orthopedic surgeons and chiropractors and were lowest for the patients seen by HMO and primary care providers. Satisfaction was greatest among the patients who went to the chiropractors.
6
Patient Evaluations of Low Back Pain Care From Family Physicians and Chiropractors
West J Med 1989 (Mar); 150 (3): 351355 ~ FULL TEXT
Patients of chiropractors were three times as likely as patients of family physicians to report that they were very satisfied with the care they received for low back pain (66% versus 22%, respectively). Compared with patients of family physicians, patients of chiropractors were much more likely to have been satisfied with the amount of information they were given, to have perceived that their provider was concerned about them, and to have felt that their provider was comfortable and confident dealing with their problem.
Other Patient Satisfaction Studies
Patient satisfaction studies have consistently shown that patients are extremely satisfied with the care they receive from chiropractors and far less satisfied with the care they receive from medical practitioners. Review 4 major studies here.
Patient Satisfaction With the Chiropractic Clinical Encounter
Data were collected from 2986 adult patients of 172 U.S. and Canadian chiropractors in a practice-based research program over a one-week period in November 1999. Of the 1822 patients reporting pain, 56.2% rated the care they received for it as "excellent," 30.6% "very good;" 9.3% "good;" 1.3% "fair;" and 0.2% "poor;" 2.0% did not respond. Patients were quite satisfied with the care they received with 83% reporting that their chiropractor always listened carefully to them and always explained things in a way they could understand; 88% reported their chiropractor always showed respect for what they had to say; 78% felt their chiropractor always spent enough time with them.
Patient Satisfaction With Back & Neck Problems
High levels of patient satisfaction was reported by those who went to chiropractors with severe to moderate pain in either the back or neck. In a clinical survey, a total of 369 patients who had gone to chiropractors with these problems were sampled.
Studies on Chiropractic: Patient Satisfaction
In todays consumer driven health care environment, patient satisfaction is an important health outcome measure. There have been several surveys conducted in recent years assessing patient satisfaction with chiropractic care, which was found to be extremely high. In addition, these surveys invariably found that the level of satisfaction was significantly higher for care received from chiropractors in comparison to the medical profession. Surveys have also indicated that chiropractic patients are willing to return for chiropractic treatment for a similar condition and would recommend chiropractic treatment to friends, family and colleagues.
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