Abstract
Background: Since the establishment of chiropractic in the late 1800s, the profession has undergone a turbulent journey as well as substantial changes and advancements. Chiropractic’s identity has always been a controversial topic and it is still a source of discrepancy within the profession. The role of chiropractic within mainstream
healthcare systems is becoming more established and there is evident growth of the
profession. The future of chiropractic may see various new developments such as the inclusion of limited prescription drug rights. The perceptions of chiropractic students
on the identity, role and future of chiropractic have been researched previously.
However, no such research has been completed on registered chiropractors.
Aim: The aim of this research study was to evaluate the perceptions of registered chiropractors in South Africa regarding the identity, role and future of the chiropractic
profession in the Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North West and Free State
provinces, respectively.
Method: This was a cross-sectional, quantitative, exploratory study. This study utilised a web-based questionnaire delivered via an online survey platform. The survey was
adapted from previous studies undertaken by Gliedt et al. (2015) and de Luca et al. (2018). Once the survey results were obtained, Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) was used to summarise and interpret the data from the five relevant provinces with the help of a statistician.
Results: 89 registered chiropractors responded to the survey (22.03% response rate).
The primary findings were that 56.2% of the participants were in the 25 to 34 years
age category and that 64% of respondents were female. The majority of participants
(70.8%) had graduated from the University of Johannesburg and 84.3% of participants
practiced chiropractic in Gauteng. Forty-one percent of the chiropractors had less than five years work experience and 75.3% reported completing a course on evidencebased chiropractic practice. The most agreed upon statement with regards to the role of chiropractic was that ‘Emphasis on chiropractic care is to eliminate vertebral subluxations’. The most agreed upon statement with regards to the identity of chiropractic was that ‘It is important for chiropractors to be educated in evidence-based
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practice’. The most agreed upon statement with regards to the future of chiropractic
was that ‘Chiropractic care should include preventative (wellness) care to prevent recurrence and exacerbations of a chronic condition’. When comparisons were made, gender and number of years in practice did not have a significant influence on these opinions.
Conclusion: South African chiropractors had a strong perception that their role included preventative (wellness) care to prevent recurrence and exacerbations of a chronic condition. Their responses indicated that evidence-based training was
important to their identity. They also had a strong opinion that the future of the profession should encompass screening for physical inactivity as well as for mental and general well-being.