market, many chiropractors who support expanded scope of practice, like Dr. Mc-Morland, say economics should not be the main driver for chiropractors to seek prescriptive rights. While he understands that aspect of the argument, he says improved and more efficient patient care should be the top priority. Without prescriptive rights, chi-ropractic patients who may need prescrip-tion medication – for pain, for example – would have to go back to their family doctor to get their prescription. Giving chiropractors prescriptive rights will elim-inate that extra trip to the family doctor and allow for better patient care. In some cases, chiropractors have been able to alleviate that by joining a multidisciplinary health practice, where they work closely with a medical doctor under one roof, which offers more con-venience for the patient. This is not the case for many chiropractors, however, says Dr. Ken Mueller, chiropractic clinic director at Queen Spadina Med-ical Centre in Toronto. “I work alongside family doctors so it’s not the most inconvenient thing in the world for me to send (the patients) back downstairs to the medical clinic, but we don’t all have that privilege,” Dr. Mueller says. He says as a chiropractor, he under-stands that chiropractic had traditionally been a non-drug, non-surgical health-care option, but adding the capability to en-dorse medication when needed does not “decrease our market position.” Dr. Mueller points out, however, that chiropractors should not be forced to prescribe if they do not want to. “Having the right to do (prescription) would be good, but I don’t think anyone should be forced to do additional certifi-cation,” he says. It is unclear where the Canadian and provincial chiropractic associations stand on the issue. Requests for comments from the Canadian Chiropractic Association and the Alberta College and Association of Chiropractors were declined. In an e-mail response to an interview request, the Ontario Chiropractic As-sociation’s (OCA) Miguel Pacheco, manager of external communications, says there currently is “no consensus around this topic (of drug prescription rights) from our membership or in chiropractic generally.” However, according to Pacheco, OCA’s 2008 and 2011 membership survey asked members about their view on chiroprac-tors prescribing anti-inflammatory med-ications or analgesics. In 2008, 55.5 per cent said they were in favour, 8.9 per cent were neutral and 35. 7 per cent were not in favour. In 2011, the number of those in favour of chiropractors prescribing an-ti-inflammatory medications or analgesics increased to 61 per cent, while those who were not in favour went down to 27 per cent. Some 13 per cent took a neutral position. For more on practice management, visit www.canadianchiropractor.ca. 30 Canadian Chiropractor October 2013 www.canadianchiropractor.ca
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