How to use evidence-based research to validate chiropractic care

Evidence-based healthcare (EBHC) and evidence-based research are both crucial aspects of how you run your practice and treat your patients.  

The chiropractic profession, like many branches of healthcare, thrives when physicians and DCs build the foundation of their practice on ongoing external evidence-based research alongside their individual clinical expertise and patient-specific needs.  

This article explores the benefits of evidence-based research in the chiropractic profession and illustrates how DCs can implement evidence-based research into their own chiropractic practice.  

Benefits of evidence-based research methods for your practice

In a notable report about evidence-based research published in ScienceDirect, the researchers acknowledge that EBHC is “helping transform the practice of the next generation of chiropractors.”  

The study states that because healthcare management is a multifaceted system centering on health, patient experience and research, an embrace of EBHC can help DCs in the following ways:  

• Maintain professional competence  
• Provide increased quality of care  
• Deal with expanded demands for accountability  
• Be more effective and efficient doctors  
• Manage rapidly expanding sources of information  
• Have knowledge of consensus and guidelines for conditions  
• Adhere to the latest evidence-based guidelines  
• Stay aware of new healthcare technologies, strategies and techniques  
• Avoid unnecessary or outdated tests or procedures  

How to better implement evidence-based research into your chiropractic care

The attitudes of DCs and evidence-based practice (EBP) are trending in favorable directions, specifically for American DCs, according to a report published by the National Institutes of Health. The report states, “American chiropractors appear very similar to chiropractors in other countries, as well as other health professionals in terms of their favorable attitudes toward EBP, while expressing limitations and barriers related to EBP skills, research relevance and lack of time. This suggests the design of future EBP interventions for chiropractic should capitalize on the growing body of EBP implementation research evidence developing in other health disciplines.”  

How can DCs implement evidence-based research into their practice?

Turn evidence-based research theory into DC policy  

DCs can learn to incorporate evidence-based research into their practice through a five-component strategy outlined in a ScienceDirect report.  

The procedure unfolds in the report as follows: 

1. Formulate an answerable question to a clinical problem 
2. Search the medical literature and other sources for information pertaining to that question 
3. Assess the validity and usefulness of the evidence identified  
4. Manage the patient accordingly 
5. Evaluate one’s own performance  
6. Never stop researching and learning  

As a DC who’s on a quest to ensure evidence-based research is part of your practice, it’s important to make clinical literature a regular part of your routine. For successful implementation into your schedule, make sure you’re including time for research and reading as a non-negotiable part of your DC responsibilities.  

Further, ensure you have valuable resources and access to databases or websites that offer round-ups of the latest research for the chiropractic profession.  

Consider how evidence-based research is interpreted

Don’t just stop at researching and learning — think critically about research and then investigate other facets of it. It’s important to remember that published research, just like anything, can be written with a scope of bias. Consider how each and every piece of research is interpreted and do your due diligence in researching it further before implementing it into your practice.  

Final thoughts

Regularly reading and incorporating evidence-based research into the way you practice will help keep you on the cutting edge of treatment protocols and technology, and make you a more efficient and effective DC. 

For further updates on evidence-based research and how you can incorporate it into your practice, we recommend subscribing to Chiropractic Economics magazine.