Consistency of Dry-Needling Interventions Across High-Quality Randomized Trials: A Critical Systematic Exploration of Intervention Reporting and Fidelity.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to systematically explore the reporting of trigger-point dry needling (DN) in high-quality randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and to evaluate those trials' intervention fidelity. METHODS: A focused systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted. PubMed and Cochrane databases were searched for systematic reviews focusing on DN, published from January 2014 to January 2019. Randomized clinical trials with a low risk of bias were identified and their reported intervention data extracted. Dry-needling interventions were categorized according to common technique elements, and the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) was used to appraise their intervention fidelity. RESULTS: Fifteen systematic reviews were identified, and from these we extracted data from 26 RCTs. Twelve unique technique descriptors were identified, and 8 technique archetype categories were distinguishable, based on whether a local twitch response defined the start of the intervention, whether continuous needle insertion and withdrawal was used, and what criteria determined the cessation of needling. The median number of TIDieR items reported was 8.5 out of 12. Explicit procedure reporting was uncommon for intervention tailoring (38%) and rare for intervention mode (19%) and modifications (7%). CONCLUSION: Across the RCTs included in this review, substantial heterogeneity in the choice and reporting of DN was evident. In particular, systematic underreporting of intervention tailoring, mode clarification, and procedure modification undermined intervention fidelity. The development and adoption of standardized intervention guidelines is recommended to enhance uniform and nuanced reporting of DN interventions.

Manager Experiences with the Return to Work Process in a Large, Publically Funded, Hospital Setting: Walking a Fine Line.

PURPOSE: Previous research on the role of managers in the return to work (RTW) process has primarily been conducted in contexts where the workplace has declared organizational responsibility for the process. While this is a common scenario, in some countries, including Denmark, there is no explicit legal obligation on the workplace to accommodate RTW. The aim of this study was to gain knowledge about the potential roles and contributions of managers in supporting returning employees in a context where they have no legal obligation to actively support RTW. METHODS: Nineteen Danish hospital managers participated in a one-on-one interview or focus group discussions aimed at identifying barriers and facilitators for supporting employees in their RTW. Five individual interviews and two focus group discussions were conducted. Transcripts were analysed using thematic content analysis. RESULTS: Four main themes were identified: (1) 'Coordinator and collaborator'; (2) 'Dilemmas of the RTW policy enforcer'; (3) 'The right to be sick and absent'; and (4) 'Keep the machinery running…'. Our findings indicated that supervisors' capacity to support returning workers was related to individual, communication, organizational, and policy factors. Instances were observed where supervisors faced the dilemma of balancing ethical and managerial principles with requirements of keeping staffing budgets. CONCLUSION: Although it is not their legislative responsibility, Danish managers play a key role in the RTW process. As has been observed in other contexts, Danish supervisors struggle to balance considerations for the returning worker with those of their teams.

Chiropractor perceptions and practices regarding interprofessional service delivery in the Danish primary care context.

For the past 20 years, chiropractors have enjoyed access to the Danish health care system and have been free to build integrated health care delivery partnerships. An electronic survey of chiropractic clinics around Denmark was conducted in order to observe interprofessional practice trends. From the available population of 252 practices, 166 responses were received. Ninety-six percent of respondents considered inter-disciplinary/interprofessional practice to be either "very" or "extremely" important in the context of modern Danish health care. Three occupational groups appear to be commonly involved in practice alongside chiropractors, these being massage therapists (82%), physiotherapists (58%) and acupuncturists (37%). Interestingly only 11% considered a medical practitioner to be an active participant in their current interprofessional service delivery. Danish chiropractors consider interprofessional practice to be important and as a group, perceive themselves to be offering such models of service provision. Medical practitioners are perceived as desirable, but under utilized partners.

A qualitative exploration of key informant perspectives regarding the nature and impact of contemporary legislation on professional development: a grounded theory study of chiropractic in Denmark.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to construct a substantive framework of the manner in which the Danish government interacts with the Danish chiropractic profession and influences professional practice. METHODS: An exploratory, qualitative study was performed using a substantive grounded theory (GT) approach. Unstructured, face-to-face, individual interviews were conducted during the years 2012 and 2013 and thematically analyzed. Six people were interviewed for this study including a gatekeeper and witness to legislative history, a previous chiropractic political representative and witness to legislative history, a previous Department of Health negotiator and previous administrator of chiropractic affairs and witness to legislative history, a current administrator of chiropractic affairs, an active chiropractic political representative and witness to legislative history, and a chief negotiator for Danish Regional Health Care Services. RESULTS: Open and axial coding yielded 2 themes centering on licensing chiropractors in Denmark and the resultant developmental issues encountered. Through further selective coding, the GT core construct, "chiropractic practice in the Danish heath care system" emerged. The GT highlights the tension between the strategic political importance of legislation and the restrictive nature of the overly specific act currently regulating chiropractic practice. Moreover, the GT also revealed the perceived negative effect that the National Board of Health may exert on clinical practice due to its conservative interpretation of the act. CONCLUSIONS: The Danish government is perceived to act as a countervailing power related to chiropractic practice. The derived substantive GT suggests that the Danish government's dualistic action relative to the Danish chiropractic community may inhibit the spontaneous evolution of contemporary Danish chiropractic practice. Although historically narrow legislation may limit chiropractic practice, conservative interpretations by the Danish National Board of Health may also play an important role.

Interprofessional education among musculoskeletal healthcare professions: A scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: To examine peer-reviewed literature involving undergraduate interprofessional education (IPE) focusing on musculoskeletal (MSK) healthcare professions. METHODS: Methodological searches were conducted on electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, ERIC, and ProQuest. No date restrictions were applied. English sources (qualitative and quantitative methodological studies, conference papers and proceedings, systematic reviews, grey literature, unpublished materials, theses, and dissertations) were included. A researcher, independent reviewer, and research librarian completed the search and data extraction from June to October 2023. Disagreements were resolved by discussion. ATLAS.ti was used to analyze data by generating codes linked to the text. Findings were reported in a narrative format and by using tables. RESULTS: Initially, 2894 articles were retrieved and screened for relevance. After rigorous screening procedures, 18 articles from various countries were deemed eligible for inclusion. The included studies were conducted within the date range of 2010 to 2024. The included studies employed mixed methods (n = 9), quantitative (n = 5), and qualitative (n = 4) approaches. Combined medical and physiotherapy student cohorts were prominently featured in 67% (n = 12) of the reviewed studies. All 18 studies incorporated the implementation and/or evaluation of an IPE intervention. Thematic analysis revealed 5 overarching themes, encompassing the benefits, barriers, interventions, strategies, evaluation, and general findings related to IPE. CONCLUSION: The reviewed literature emphasizes a significant gap in IPE initiatives concerning various MSK health providers, including chiropractors, podiatrists, biokineticists, and osteopaths. This paucity accentuates the need for further exploration and evaluation of IPE within MSK-specific contexts, crucial for addressing and mitigating the escalating global burden of MSK diseases.

Finding a way in and making it stick: an exploration of chiropractor experiences working in team-oriented elite sport practice settings.

Interprofessional healthcare teams have become the benchmark for optimising athlete health and performance in high-stakes sports. Despite a history of utility as provider partners, chiropractors are currently a relatively underutilised human resource in this rapidly developing and challenging field. Consequently, our study explored the global experiences and distinct perspectives of elite-level career sports chiropractors. Through a qualitative explorative single case study, we purposively sampled and interviewed 15 chiropractors active in elite-level athletic contexts. 'Professional characteristics and competencies', 'Running the gamut of professional career development' and 'Navigating team development in a small organisational structure' emerged as the three key themes from the data. Our data indicate that chiropractors gain provider as members of the elite athletic health and performance management team as multirole manual medicine practitioners. However, thriving in a team-oriented practice, this context appears to be reliant on their capacity for development as part of a small organisational group.

Drivers, barriers, and response to care of Australian pregnant women seeking chiropractic care for low back and pelvic girdle pain: a qualitative case study.

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy-related low back and/or pelvic girdle pain is common, with a prevalence rate of up to 86% in pregnant women. Although 19.5% of Australian pregnant women visit a chiropractor for pelvic girdle pain, little is known about the experience of pregnant women who seek this care. The aim of this study was to describe and explore the experiences of Australian pregnant women who seek chiropractic care for their current pregnancy-related low back and/or pelvic girdle pain. METHODS: A qualitative case study approach with purposive sampling from 27 chiropractic practices was used. A grounded theory approach was informed by a constructivist and interpretivist stance, which provided understanding and meaning to the pregnant women's experiences. Online unstructured interviews were recorded, transcribed, and anonymised. A thematic analysis was subsequently conducted on the primary data. Codes and major themes were developed with the use of critical self- reflection (memos), survey finding triangulation and respondent validation. RESULTS: Sixteen potential respondents expressed interest in participating. After eligibility screening and data saturation, nine interviews were undertaken. Four key themes were identified: "Care drivers: what drives care seeking?", "Care barriers: what barriers are encountered?", "Chiropractic treatment: what does treatment consist of?" and "Response to care: what response was there to care?". CONCLUSION: Four key themes: care drivers, care barriers, chiropractic treatment, and response to care support an emergent substantive-level theory in women's care seeking experiences for pregnancy-related back pain and chiropractic care. This theory is that chiropractic care for pregnant women experiencing low back pain and pelvic girdle pain may improve pain and function, while reducing pregnancy-related biopsychosocial concerns. The findings may inform antenatal health providers and the chiropractic profession about pregnant women's experience seeking chiropractic care as well as directing future research.

The GLA:D BACK self-management adherence and competence checklist (SMAC Checklist)-Development, content validity and feasibility.

OBJECTIVES: To unpack the complexity and impact of self-management interventions targeting musculoskeletal health conditions, we need to learn more about treatment delivery in clinical settings. Fidelity evaluation can illuminate how complex treatments are delivered and help understand the elements that lead to the effect. The objective of this study was to develop a checklist for the evaluation of the clinicians' delivery of structured patient education and exercise intervention for people with persistent back pain, the GLA:D Back intervention. The intent was to provide a checklist adaptable for the general delivery of self-management interventions for musculoskeletal pain. METHODS: We derived items for the treatment delivery fidelity checklist from behaviour change techniques and theory about communication style. We applied a three-step developmental process covering developing a preliminary fidelity intervention framework, validating checklist content and piloting and refining the checklist. RESULTS: We developed the adaptable fidelity checklist, The GLA:D BACK Self-management Adherence and Competence Checklist (SMAC Checklist). Evaluation of clinical practice using the checklist was feasible and acceptable by clinicians. Preliminary results indicate satisfactory observer agreement during pilot testing of the checklist. CONCLUSION: The GLA:D BACK Self-management Adherence and Competence Checklist is a fidelity measurement tool for the assessment of the delivery of a self-management supportive intervention for people with persistent back pain. The intention is that it can be useful as an adaptable tool for use across self-management interventions for musculoskeletal pain.

Identifying sports chiropractic global research priorities: an international Delphi study of sports chiropractors.

Objectives: Developing a research agenda is one method to facilitate broad research planning and prioritise research within a discipline. Despite profession-specific agendas, none have specifically addressed the research needs of the specialty of sports chiropractic. This study determined consensus on research priorities to inform a global sports chiropractic research agenda. Methods: A Delphi consensus methodology was used to integrate expert opinions. Clinicians, academics and leaders from the international sports chiropractic specialty were recruited using purposive sampling to participate in (1) a Delphi panel involving three voting rounds to determine consensus on research priorities and (2) a priority importance ranking of the items that reached consensus. Results: We identified and contacted 141 participants, with response rates for rounds 1, 2 and 3, of 44%, 31% and 34%, respectively. From the original 149 research priorities, 66 reached consensus in round 1, 63 in round 2 and 45 items in round 3. Research priorities reaching consensus were collapsed by removing redundancies, and priority ranking identified 20 research priorities, 11 related to collaboration and 6 to research themes. Conclusions: The top-ranked items for research priorities, research themes and collaborations included the effects of interventions on performance, recovery and return to play; clinical research in sport; and collaborations with researchers in chiropractic educational institutions, respectively. Implications: The prioritisation of research items can be evaluated by key stakeholders (including athletes) and implemented to develop the first international research agenda for sports chiropractic.

Chiropractors in interprofessional practice settings: a narrative review exploring context, outcomes, barriers and facilitators.

To determine the added value of interprofessional interventions over existing mono-professional practice, elucidation of specific health care issues, service delivery contexts and benefits of combining multiple service provider is required. However, from existing literature, it is difficult to develop a sense of the evidence that supports interprofessional practice initiatives involving chiropractors. This review aims to describe and explore the contexts, outcomes, and barriers and facilitators relating to interprofessional practice involving chiropractors available in current literature. A search of Scopus, CINAHL, Cochrane, and Web of Science databases covering the literature from 2005 to October 2021 was conducted, after which a narrative review of identified peer-reviewed articles written in English was performed. We included data from seven studies, conducted across four distinct service delivery contexts. Eight interprofessional practice partners were identified, and eight factors appear to act as barriers and facilitators. Data suggests that incorporating chiropractors into community health and sports medicine interprofessional practice interventions is achievable and appears to impact collaborative practice positively. For older adults with low back pain, quality of life and care-related satisfaction are potential relevant outcomes for the evaluation of interprofessional practice interventions. There is currently very limited evidence from which to judge the value of interprofessional practice interventions, as available literature appears to focus mainly on interprofessional collaboration. Studies conducted specifically to evaluate interprofessional practice solutions and addressing specific health care issues or practice domains are urgently required.

'When the picture does not really tell the story'- A qualitative exploration of the MRI report of findings as a means for generating shared diagnostic meaning during the management of patients suffering from persistent spinal pain.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) feedback report as a health care encounter for generating shared diagnostic meaning. METHODS: An exploratory, qualitative case study was conducted using video observation of the MRI report of findings, individual face-to-face and telephonic interviews. RESULTS: From fourteen distinct encounters, three key themes emerged, these being: 'a powerful shared experience, 'a legacy of biomedical thinking' and 'clinical practice quandaries'. Generally speaking, the MRI encounter was observed to be both an effective and satisfying method for developing shared diagnostic meaning. However, in instances where a structure-based diagnosis could not be reasonably established, clinicians experienced doubts in what to present in a 'soft report'. A feature of these was the communication of speculative causal feedback, based on non-visualised structures and/or incidental findings observed. CONCLUSION: Shared diagnostic meaning can result from a 'soft' MRI report of findings. However, the emergence of diagnostic closure is not guaranteed. Further exploration of this phenomenon in the context of shared decision making and the therapeutic alliance is warranted. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Pre-feedback peer conferences might be considered in order to standardise the information communicated to patients. Clinicians might also consider limiting the MRI scan as a visual aid in 'soft' reports.

The utilisation of regulated standardised care packages by Danish chiropractors: a mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND: In Denmark, chiropractors in primary care work as independent private contractors regulated by the Danish National Health Authorities. The regulation includes partial reimbursement intended for standardised care packages for lumbar and cervical radiculopathy and lumbar spinal stenosis. Random checks have shown lower use than expected. This study aimed to describe and explore the utilisation of standardised chiropractic care packages and identify barriers to uptake. METHODS: A convergent mixed-method design was conceptualised. The use of standardised care packages was collected by register data. Potential determinants of difference in utilisation were assessed using a modified version of the Determinants of Implementation Behaviour Questionnaire (DIBQ) divided into 13 domains and sent to chiropractors in private clinics in Denmark in 2019. An open-ended question was added to the questionnaire, and thematic content analysis was applied. Qualitative findings were used to expand on the DIBQ data providing further insight into the clinicians' perspective on standardised care packages. RESULTS: Registry data of 244 included chiropractic clinics showed limited and inconsistent use of the standardised chiropractic care packages. A total of 269 chiropractors (44%) answered the DIBQ, and 45 provided data for the qualitative analyses. At least 60% of the clinicians answered 'Strongly agree' or 'Agree' in 10 out of 13 DIBQ domains suggesting a positive attitude towards using the standardised care packages. Three domains were identified as 'problematic' as more than 20% of clinicians disagreed or strongly disagreed: 'Socio-political context', 'Goals' and 'Innovation'. Qualitative findings indicated that lack of usage of the standardised care packages was mainly related to the practical organization of standardised care, the chiropractor's role when managing patients, and the patient population of interest to the clinic (e.g., children, athletes). CONCLUSION: In general, Danish chiropractors displayed positive attitudes towards standardised packages of care. However, considerable variation in the use of the standardised care programs was observed. Low utilisation seemed mainly related to logistics, the chiropractor's role, collaboration with GPs, and the patient population of interest to the clinic. These findings should be further explored in more extensive qualitative studies to inform implementation initiatives to increase and rectify utility.

Factors influencing implementation of the GLA:D Back, an educational/exercise intervention for low back pain: a mixed-methods study.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Guidelines for low back pain (LBP) management recommend patient education and exercises. GLA:D Back, a structured group-based patient-education exercise program for LBP, facilitates evidence-based care implementation. This study aimed to inform on the implementation processes, assessing clinician-related factors. Objectives were to describe profiles of implementers and nonimplementers by demographics, and responses to the tailored version of the Determinants of Implementation Behaviour Questionnaire (DIBQ-t) qualitatively explore clinician perspectives on implementation, and compare the results of the DIBQ-t with the interview data to evaluate their fit of integration for facilitators, barriers, and new insights. METHODS: A mixed-methods parallel design study was conducted. Physiotherapists and chiropractors, educated in the GLA:D Back program, were asked to complete the DIBQ-t (measuring theoretical determinants of implementation) 6 months after their training. Implementers and nonimplementers of the program were selected for interviews. Qualitative data were used to understand clinicians' viewpoints on implementation, providing a broader perspective on the quantitative data and exploring new aspects. RESULTS: More physiotherapists than chiropractors implemented the program. Implementers responded more positively on most domains of the DIBQ-t. The interviews revealed three themes important for implementation: personal gain, practicalities, and buying-in on the program. Clinicians' attitudes to the program appeared additionally as relevant to implementation. CONCLUSION: The profession of the clinician was associated with implementation behavior. Implementers and nonimplementers identified the same themes but perceived them as either positive or negative. Both groups reported high levels of knowledge and skills, indicating that training alone is insufficient for implementation.

The Danish sports chiropractic landscape: an exploration of practice characteristics and salient developmental issues.

BACKGROUND: As is the case around the globe, the Danish chiropractic community appears to be an active service provider for the athletic sub-population. However, a paucity of evidence elucidating the experiences, perceptions, and practices of individuals who identify as 'sports chiropractors' complicates strategic development efforts. METHODS: A sequential mixed-methods study was conceptualized in which interview responses from seven purposefully selected stakeholders provided context and informed a national descriptive survey exploring practice characteristics and opinions regarding sports chiropractic among Danish chiropractors. RESULTS: Thematic highlights included divided opinions on the criteria that define a sports chiropractor, the role of a chiropractor functioning beyond the clinic setting, and the need for a structured approach to developing sports chiropractic as a legitimate sub-specialty. The survey response rate was 34.9% (227 of 651), with 27% of responders identifying as a 'sports chiropractor'. Compared to non-sports chiropractors, sports chiropractors engaged in a significantly higher level of interprofessional practice (3.8 versus 2.7 partners), in particular medical doctors (p = 0.016) and personal trainers (p <  0.001). Whether participants identified as a sports chiropractor or not, there was consensus that a high-quality post-graduate qualification and continued education was important. Generally speaking, the framing of sports chiropractic into a protected title was not a priority. CONCLUSION: The Danish sports chiropractor tends to be male, has a specialist education and engages other chiropractors, medical practitioners and professional trainers more often as practice partners than generalist chiropractors. The position of the sports chiropractor as a 'knowledgeable expert' was seen as more important than establishing a protected title. Experiential training appears to be an untapped resource for developing real-world competency and gaining greater professional exposure. Given the potential for development across Europe, more focus is required on a strategic plan for embedding chiropractic professionals in inter-professional athletic health and performance practice settings.

Neck pain and anxiety do not always go together.

Chronic pain and psychosocial distress are generally thought to be associated in chronic musculoskeletal disorders such as non-specific neck pain. However, it is unclear whether a raised level of anxiety is necessarily a feature of longstanding, intense pain amongst patient and general population sub-groups. In a cohort of 70 self-selected female, non-specific neck pain sufferers, we observed relatively high levels of self-reported pain of 4.46 (measured on the 11 point numerical pain rating scale (NRS-101)) and a longstanding duration of symptoms (156 days/year). However, the mean anxiety scores observed (5.49), fell well below the clinically relevant threshold of 21 required by the Beck Anxiety Inventory. The cohort was stratified to further distinguish individuals with higher pain intensity (NRS>6) and longer symptom duration (>90 days). Although a highly statistically significant difference (p = 0.000) was subsequently observed with respect to pain intensity, in the resulting sub-groups, none such a difference was noted with respect to anxiety levels. Our results indicate that chronic, intense pain and anxiety do not always appear to be related. Explanations for these findings may include that anxiety is not triggered in socially functional individuals, that individual coping strategies have come into play or in some instances that a psychological disorder like alexithymia could be a confounder. More studies are needed to clarify the specific role of anxiety in chronic non-specific musculoskeletal pain before general evidence-driven clinical extrapolations can be made.

The professional contribution of chiropractors to Danish elite football clubs: a qualitative exploration of role and perceived value in an interprofessional service provision context.

BACKGROUND: Interprofessional team-based care has been widely adopted in elite level athletic health and performance practice. Chiropractors can claim some penetration as health care service providers in high level sport. However, their position as valued members of interprofessional health care teams, especially those built around traditional medical organisational structures, is unclear. This investigation sought to explore the perceived role and value of chiropractors as service providers in elite Danish football clubs. METHODS: A comparative qualitative case study was conducted. Six Danish premiere league (Superliga) clubs were purposively sampled to compare and contrast instances where chiropractors were both present and absent from the health care team. Triangulated responses were solicited from healthcare coordinators, chiropractors and athletes within each club's organization through semi-structured individual interviews. The audio-recorded responses were transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed using a framework approach. RESULTS: Data were collected September and November 2019. A coding framework of 14 codes and 4 code families emerged, centering around the role of chiropractors, benefits of utilizing chiropractic care and facilitators and barriers to interprofessional practice. From this framework, three themes were abstracted, these being: "Broadening horizons", "In-house preferred to take-away" and "Already covered, or even necessary?" CONCLUSION: In this practice context, chiropractors fill the role of musculoskeletal health care service providers. Their perceived value stems from additional expert disciplinary knowledge, improved diagnostic triage and increased treatment flexibility. However, where not utilized, the role of a spinal health expert is questioned and when acknowledged, is limited to that of a technician/therapist. It is unclear from this investigation whether chiropractors can claim core provider status. Further exploration of this interesting context of interprofessional practice is warranted.

Communicating and diagnosing non-specific low back pain: A qualitative study of the healthcare practitioners perspectives using a social diagnosis framework.

BACKGROUND: There is general agreement that non-specific low back pain is best understood within a biopsychosocial understanding of health. However, clinicians and patients seemingly adhere to a biomedically derived diagnostic model, which may introduce misperceptions of pain and does not inform treatment or prognosis. OBJECTIVE: To explore, from the perspective of health-care practitioners, how persistent non- specific low back pain may be communicated in a way that moves beyond a biomedical diagnosis. DESIGN: An explorative qualitative investigation using a constructivist diagnostic framework. METHODS: Focus group and individual interviews of 10 purposefully selected chiropractors, physio-therapists and general practitioners were codified and thematically analysed. RESULTS: Four themes emerged: "Clinicians' nuanced understanding of back pain"; "The challenges of shared decision-making"; "Cultural barriers to moving beyond biomedicine"; and "More than a label - individual explanations for pain". Pain and disability were perceived as products of multiple bio-psycho-social factors. Clinicians identified the impact of multiple social actors, an unhealthy work culture, and the organization of the medical system on the notion of pain and suffering. CONCLUSION: Clinicians perceived a need to communicate the complexity of non-specific low back pain in order to help patients make sense of their condition, rather than applying diagnostic labelling. There are multiple barriers to integrating a constructivistic diagnostic framework that need to be overcome.

The Interexaminer Reproducibility and Prevalence of Lumbar and Gluteal Myofascial Trigger Points in Patients With Radiating Low Back Pain.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the interexaminer reproducibility for judging the presence, number, and location of leg-pain referring myofascial trigger points, and their prevalence in patients with low back pain with and without concomitant leg pain referral. DESIGN: An interexaminer reproducibility study. SETTING: An outpatient public Hospital Spine Centre in Southern Denmark. PARTICIPANTS: Examiners: experienced examiners (N=2), a chiropractor and a physiotherapist, respectively. Subjects: a case mix of patients with low back pain (N=32) with and without leg pain referral. INTERVENTIONS: A standardized palpation examination protocol of 4 bilateral lumbosacral muscles performed by each examiner. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Reproducibility on presence (measured in Cohen's κ), number (difference and limits of agreement), location (distance between matching marks placed by examiners), and prevalence of myofascial trigger points. RESULTS: Kappa values of the examined muscles were as follows: quadratus lumborum (κ=0.42), gluteus medius (κ=0.83), gluteus minimus (κ=0.74), and piriformis (κ=0.62), with a mean of all examined muscles of kappa=0.66, assessed as substantial agreement. The mean difference in number of trigger points was 0.8, with limits of agreement ranging from -6.4 to 4.9. Mean distance between trigger point locations was 12.9 mm, with 57% only being identified by a single examiner. The prevalence of trigger points was 82.7%, highest in the gluteal region of the painful side. CONCLUSIONS: Inadequate standardization and multiple trigger point sites complicate interexaminer reproducibility on location and number of patients with low back pain and leg pain referral. Nevertheless, substantial interexaminer reproducibility for the trigger point presence appears achievable. Implemented routinely, this relatively simple clinical evaluation procedure could meaningfully enhance diagnostic triage and eventual management.

Chiropractic practice in the Danish public health care sector: a reflection and clarification of context, terms of usage, and selected design considerations for a planned qualitative investigation.

This commentary offers preliminary considerations around a phenomenological investigation of chiropractic services in a Danish public sector setting. In this narrative description, the main venue for chiropractic public (secondary) sector practice in the Danish context is briefly described and defined. Furthermore, a contextually relevant definition of an integral health care service is presented; and the professional importance for chiropractic in providing such services is also discussed. Finally, salient questions requiring empirical investigation in this context are posed; and selected issues around a qualitative research design approach are considered.

Managing sickness absence of patients with musculoskeletal pain - a cross-sectional survey of Scandinavian chiropractors.

Background: Musculoskeletal pain is a major cause of work disability. Many patients with musculoskeletal pain seek care from health care providers other than their general practitioners, including a range of musculoskeletal practitioners. Therefore, these musculoskeletal practitioners may play a key role by engaging in sickness absence management and work disability prevention. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal practitioners' practice behaviours, and their perceptions and beliefs about sickness absence management by using Scandinavian chiropractors as an example, as well as to examine the association between these characteristics and two different practice behaviours. Methods: As part of a mixed-methods study, we surveyed members of the national chiropractic associations in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden in 2016. Descriptive statistics were used to describe prevalence. Multilevel logistic regression with backwards stepping was used to estimate odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals between each of the two practice behaviours and the characteristics. Results: Out of the 802 respondents (response rate 56%), 372 were Danish, 349 Norwegian, and 81 Swedish. In Denmark and Norway, 38.7 and 37.8% always/often considered if sick leave was appropriate for their patient compared to 21.0% in Sweden (p = 0.007); and 86.5% of the Norwegian chiropractors always/often recommended to return-to-work versus 64.5 and 66.7% in Denmark and Sweden respectively (p < 0.001). In the final models, factors associated with the two practice behaviours were age, level of clinical experience, working as a teacher, the tendency to be updated on current legislations and policies using social services, contact with general practitioners, relevance of engagement in SAM, consideration of workplace factors, SAM as part of the clinical tool box, patient out-of-pocket fee, and recommending fast return-to-work. Conclusions: Whilst not always engaged in sickness absence management with regards to musculoskeletal pain, chiropractors favour a 'return-to-work' rather than a 'stay-at-home' approach. Several practice behaviours and perceptions and beliefs are associated with these outcomes; however, system or organisational barriers are linked to clinician non-engagement.