Interdisciplinary Collaborative Practice, Part 2 What the profession is learning By Maria DiDanieli In Part 1 of this article, some concepts of interdisciplinary collaboration in a health-care setting were discussed. The consideration that, in order for DCs to effectively participate in an interdisciplinary working environment where collaboration is called for, preparation and training for this must be provided by chiropractic colleges – either at the undergradu- ate level and/or within continuing education offerings – was raised. F or the chiropractor who wishes to explore the possibility of working within an interdisciplinary collaborative practice (ICP) option – or the researcher who wants to study this growing movement within the profession – there are many formi- dable mentors from which to choose. The profession in Canada is well aware of who its heroes are in this domain and detailed descriptions of their accomplishments and insights can be found in a variety of sources.1,2,3,4,5 They have made inroads in hospitals, family health teams, within elite athletics, on associations and in many private practice situations across the country and beyond, bringing chiropractic to a wide variety of patient situations, for which it would not otherwise have been available, while raising awareness of the profession’s work and fostering a patient-centred culture requiring co- operation and mutual respect amongst practitioners.6,7 The author does not wish to gloss over these achievements or the people behind them but rather, to consider their legacy in this realm. Part 2 of this article will draw from the experiences of a new generation of DCs who are participating in collaborative work with practitioners from other disciplines – having received some insight from the pioneers who initiated this journey – to provide further insight, from the field, regarding this option. We will explore what they are discovering about this movement as practitioners and as members of their health-care environment, and what still needs to be done in order for chiropractors to harness collaborative roles effectively. CHIROPRACTORS IN A TEAM SETTING Dr. Filipe Tiburcio is a clinic director for one of the Physiomed Health Group clin- ics in Ontario. Physiomed is a growing organization of franchised clinics that are as- sociated with leading fitness centres, offering its patients a number of health-care op- tions, such as chiropractic, massage therapy, physiotherapy and more. Each franchise 40 • CANADIAN CHIROPRACTOR | MAY 2010 www.canadianchiropractor.ca feature
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