Empowered Health Season 2 Episode 9 – Measurement Movement

Empowered Health Season 2 Episode 9 – Measurement Movement

Chiropractic working group aims to further health research and interdisciplinary care

Research is key to developing better treatments and care protocols to eliminate disease and stay healthy. The chiropractic profession is fortunate to have twelve research chairs in major universities across the country, each of whom conducts and contributes to world class research. But the more significant benefits to weaving these research chairs into the fabric of academia are the interdisciplinary connections and collaborations that result. There is no other time in history where we have seen so many different health professions coming together with one common goal: improving healthcare.

When many different health professionals work together, patients routinely experience better care and are on average better prepared to care for themselves. There are several examples of this in practice already. St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto uses a multi-disciplinary approach to treat and manage back pain. Community health clinics with nurse practitioners, dentists, nutritionists and several other health care providers are peppered throughout Canada and experience tremendous success in the amount of patients they can treat and the quality of the care that is delivered. Let’s also not forget our amazing Canadian athletes who benefit from a team healthcare approach. It makes perfect sense that patients benefit from having multiple perspectives of expertise that work together to treat the whole person, not just the corner of their body with a problem.

In an effort to gain further momentum to this type of approach and increase collaboration in the academic community, several chiropractic doctors out of McMaster University came together to form the McMaster Chiropractic Working Group in 2009. Dr. Steven Passmore DC, PhD, a researcher from the University of Manitoba is one of the founding members of this group that aims to raise the profile of chiropractic in the university setting through credible research and collaborative efforts. With the exception of a few researchers in universities, chiropractic education and advancement is completely separate from traditional academic institutions which may contribute to the frequent siloing of this health profession. Even after earning his PhD from McMaster in 2012, Dr. Passmore continues to be a part of this initiative which is setting an example for others across the country. BC is already investigating the potential of a local working group based on the McMaster model.

With his own research in Manitoba under his Canadian Chiropractic Research Foundation professorship, Dr. Passmore is looking to bring more science to the understanding of the practice of chiropractic; More specifically, what chiropractors deliver, who benefits and what are the referral patterns. There are thousands of patients on wait lists for surgeries and other procedures who may improve or at least sustain their existing quality of life with conservative care. The trick is to identify who these individuals are so they can receive this type of care leading up to their surgery or avoiding it all together. Dr. Passmore is hoping to uncover some of these answers through his work.

This is where the interdisciplinary approach highly benefits the patient. Spine surgeons who work with chiropractors can offer non-invasive therapy to patients to manage or improve their condition while on wait lists. Some patients may find a significant improvement while others may need to progress to a surgical intervention. The important part of the equation is that the patients is being looked after every step of the way.

Interdisciplinary and patient-centred care are the buzz words du jour but they really do speak to a better method of health delivery. With this practice becoming more and more common, hopefully we can expect more of a team care approach at our own local hospitals and clinics.

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