December 2005

WHO publishes DC training guidelines

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published training guidelines for chiropractic education, developed through input from the World Federation of Chiropractic.

According to a memo released by David Chapman-Smith, WFC Secretary-General, the guidelines will not affect education in countries with established chiropractic licensing laws. They were developed to encourage other governments to include chiropractic within their healthcare system, and their central goal is to serve as a reference for national authorities in establishing an examination and licensing system for the qualified practice of chiropractic.

The introductory section of the guidelines says that the objectives of the document are:

• To provide minimum requirements for chiropractic education;

• To serve as a reference for national authorities in establishing an examination and licensing system for the qualified practice of chiropractic; and

• To review contraindications in order to minimize the risk of accidents and to advise on the management of complications occurring during treatment and to promote the safe practice of chiropractic.

The 50-page document is divided into two sections: Part I covers basic requirements for training programs, each designed for trainees with various educational backrounds, including nonmedics, physicians wishing to use chiropractic, and primary healthcare workers.

Part II deals with the safety of spinal manipulative therapy and the contraindcations to its use.

The guidelines are available online at www.ChiroEco.com/history in the BONUS articles section.

Source: World Federation of Chiropractic, www.wfc.org

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