Collaboration Between DCs and Family Physicians A study by the Ontario Chiropractic Association Maria DiDanieli in conversation with Dr. Bob Haig, Dr. Candice Gibbs and Jan Kasperski feature Dr. Bob Haig is the CEO of the Ontario Chiropractic Association. Dr. Candice Gibbs is a chiropractor at HealthSense Medical in Oakville, Ontario. Jan Kasperski RN, MHSc, CHE is CEO for the Ontario College of Family Physicians. T he profession of chiropractic has made impressive strides in establishing collab-orative relationships with other disciplines in clinical practice, research and edu-cation. Most recently, a pilot study in Ontario, involving family physicians and chiropractors, added to this momentum. The study demonstrated that there is a very real interest, on the part family physicians as well as patients, in adopting a collabora-tive approach with chiropractors to streamline and enhance treatment strategies for low back pain (LBP). According to the Ontario Chiropractic Association (OCA), “Low back pain is a major health issue in Ontario. It affects 84 per cent of the working population at some point in their life and is second only to the common cold as a cause of lost work time.” The OCA commissioned surveys of patients and family physicians and also carried out a pilot test of the “Consulting Chiropractor” model in primary care. This latter initia-tive is funded by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. In this article, OCA chief executive officer Dr. Bob Haig, along with project participant Dr. Candice Gibbs and Ontario College of Family Physicians chief executive officer Jan Kasperski, will outline details of the study and discuss some of the results with respect to patient satisfaction, treatment planning, practitioner experience and implementation. SURVEYING FAMILY PHYSICIANS AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC The OCA conducted two separate studies, one with Ontario residents and one with Ontario family physicians, to gauge attitudes towards using other health-care providers, including chiropractors, as part of a multidisciplinary team to manage LBP. The physi-cian study was completed online from April 26, 2012, to May 7, 2012, using Environ -ics Research Group’s online physician panel. A total of 100 general practitioners/family 22 • Canadian ChiropraCtor | SEptEMBEr 2012 www.canadianchiropractor.ca
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