Abstract
Background: Globally, a considerable number of patients, including those in the paediatric population, actively pursue chiropractic treatment. Consequently, conducting research with a specific focus on South Africa would yield significant advantages for the chiropractic community.
Aim: The primary aim of the research is to investigate the practice characteristics of qualified chiropractors who treat paediatric patients in South African chiropractic practices in the Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Mpumalanga provinces.
Method: This was an exploratory and quantitative anonymous research study distributed using an online survey on the platform QuestionPro®. The study population was chiropractors treating paediatric patients in South African chiropractic practices registered with the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa (AHPCSA), and to ensure a high level of confidence and meaningful statistical results, the study aimed for a minimum of 81 valid responses. The study survey was formulated by the researcher with assistance from the supervisor and the statistician. Some of the survey questions were adapted from a study by Siegenthaler (2017). The online survey consisted of twenty questions and four sections. The survey was then subjected to content validation and face validity; thereafter, the survey was adapted accordingly. The final draft of the survey was approved by Statistical Consultation Service (STATKON), a specialist unit in the Postgraduate School, Research and Innovation Division, University of Johannesburg, and the statistician created a distribution link. The online survey was distributed to potential participants using the distribution link and the survey took between 15 and 20 minutes to complete. The data were collected and subjected to statistical analysis with the use of cross tabulations and 2x2 frequency tables from which the Fishers exact test was performed.
Procedure: The survey distribution link created by the statistician using the platform QuestionPro® was distributed to the target population using a three-phase approach. Phase one consisted of circulating the survey to the AHPCSA emailing list. Phase two consisted of circulating the survey to the Chiropractic Association of South Africa (CASA) emailing list. Phase three consisted of personally contacting individuals. Registered chiropractors in South Africa were invited to participate in the survey by
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clicking on a link at the end of the information letter. The participants provided consent and completed the survey anonymously.
Results: The sample consisted of 105 chiropractors. The study revealed a majority 88.6% of participants’ province of primary practice was Gauteng. Most of the participants were female (74.3%) between the ages of 25 and 49 (90.5%). The majority (76.2%) graduated from the University of Johannesburg, 97.1% with a Masters Health Sciences (MHSc) degree. This study observed that 50.5% of participants had no additional paediatric training and 90.5% had no paediatric qualification. The majority (34%) of participants had a special interest in family chiropractic and 27.6% saw between 21 and 30 general paediatric patients per week, compared with 85.7%, who saw, on average, between 1 and 10 paediatric patients per week. The most common method included in the treatment regime was chiropractic manipulation with 21.3%. The most common paediatric age groups were infants and adolescents. Infantile colic and excessive crying was the most common condition treated, with 17%. A total of 98.1% of responding chiropractors stated that they referred to other healthcare providers and 49.5% of participants referred paediatric patients to paediatricians. The majority (33.9%) of participants received referrals through word of mouth and family referrals. The study revealed that 74.8% of the chiropractors stated a relationship with other healthcare providers and that they had respect for each other’s profession.
Conclusion: The majority of chiropractors in Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Mpumalanga provinces treat paediatric patients, most commonly infants and adolescents.