COVER Follow the evidence CLINICALS T Quality care through research-based clinical practice guidelines by mari -len de guzman from Nova Scotia; Ayla Azad, Shawn Thistle and Anthony Tibbles from Ontario; Danica Brousseau and Philippe Larivière from Quebec; and David Whitty from Prince Edward Island. These leaders play an important part in the CCGI’s strategy to help “transform the culture of the profes-sion to one that is guided by evidence-based practice,” by providing tools and resources to help the opinion leaders achieve their objectives. Perhaps one of the more significant aspects of the opinion leader program is that the members are cho-sen from active clinicians with whom regular chiro-practors can identify with, says Azad, one of the opinion leaders from Ontario. “If they can relate to someone like me, it makes it easier for them. Seeing that people like me have a busy practice. I have a very successful clinic and it’s evi-dence-based. It’s not like it’s hindering me… I have always been evidence-informed,” Azad notes. That empathy is important in engaging other chiropractors and elevating awareness about the clinical practice guidelines. Azad is also an instructor at Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC), which makes for an ideal platform for her opinion leader role. “I get the chiropractors before they are even chiro-practors, because I teach students,” she says. “One of the things that I have made a very conscious effort to do is… talk about clinical practice guidelines and why they are so critical to look at as a resource to help ensure your patients get the best possible treatment.” he Canadian Chiropractic Guideline Initiative (CCGI) is ramping up efforts to deliver evidence-based clinical prac-tice guidelines and best practice recom-mendations to chiropractors across the country. The identification of 18 opinion leaders earlier this year – tasked to help disseminate and implement best practice recommendations and clinical practice guidelines to practitioners – is one of CCGI’s most recent undertakings to get the evidence closer to the grassroots. This roster of opinion leaders include representa-tives for each jurisdiction in Canada, acting as a re-source for practitioners with questions about the clinical guidelines and others relating to evidence-informed practice. “We went through a formal process to identify 18 opinion leaders – roughly two per province – who would help with the initiative,” according to Dr. An-dré Bussières, CCGI project lead and assistant pro-fessor at McGill University’s school of physiotherapy and occupational therapy in Montreal. The 18 opinion leaders – from nine provinces – were selected out of 82 names submitted by stake-holders for consideration. These chiropractors are: Greg Kawchuk, Chad Kulak and Clark Mills from Alberta; Clark Konczak and Jeffrey Quon from Brit-ish Columbia; Mark Perrett and Greg Stewart from Manitoba; Daniel Comeau and Norm Skjonsberg from New Brunswick; Debbie Brake-Patten and Darrell Wade from Newfoundland; William Smith MARI-LEN DE GUZMAN is editor of Canadian Chiropractor and Massage Therapy Canada magazines. Contact her at mdeguzman@ annexweb.com. 18 Canadian Chiropractor September 2015 BACK TRACK Neck and back pains affect people of all ages, but they are more common among people between the ages of 30 and 40. User-friendly Through its website, the CCGI offers resources for chiropractors, patients and other health practitioners on various musculoskeletal conditions. The scope of www.canadianchiropractor.ca
Chiropractic + Naturopathic Doctor September 2015: Page 18
