Humphreys Barry Kim, Peterson Cynthia K, Muehlemann Daniel, Haueter Priska
Chiropractic Medicine, University of Zürich and Orthopaedic University Hospital of Balgrist, Zürich, Switzerland.
J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2010 Sep;33(7):519-35. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2010.08.003. Epub 2010 Sep 15.
With the start of a new chiropractic program in the faculty of medicine, University of Zürich, an in-depth look at chiropractic practice in Switzerland was needed to help direct the undergraduate and postgraduate education. The purposes of this study were (1) to identify specific characteristics of chiropractic practice in Switzerland to ensure that relevant key competencies particular to practice in this country are covered in the undergraduate and postgraduate chiropractic programs and (2) to compare chiropractic practice in Switzerland to other countries who have completed similar surveys.
Using the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (United States) job analysis survey as a template and adapting questions from the General Chiropractic Council United Kingdom survey, a Swiss questionnaire was created and tested for face and content validity before being placed online for completion by the 260 members of the Swiss Association for Chiropractors. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. Data were entered into an Excel spreadsheet, and descriptive statistics were calculated.
The response rate was 70%. Similarities between Swiss chiropractors and their international counterparts were found in the most common conditions treated, the common etiologies of these conditions, the most common age groups seen, and the most common treatment methods used. Differences were found in the high proportion of patients referred directly to chiropractors from varying medical specialists in Switzerland, the fact that the most common category of patient to be seen by chiropractors in Switzerland is the acute followed by the subacute patient, the much higher requirement for continuing education hours in Switzerland, and the reduced use of diagnostic imaging compared with practitioners from the United States.
Chiropractic practice in Switzerland is a government-recognized medical profession with significant interprofessional referrals resulting in earlier chiropractic treatment for many patients. However, Swiss chiropractic practitioners still retain their professional identity and focus of practice.
随着苏黎世大学医学院启动新的整脊疗法项目，有必要深入了解瑞士的整脊疗法实践，以指导本科和研究生教育。本研究的目的是：（1）确定瑞士整脊疗法实践的具体特征，以确保本科和研究生整脊疗法项目涵盖该国实践特有的相关关键能力；（2）将瑞士的整脊疗法实践与其他已完成类似调查的国家进行比较。
以美国国家整脊疗法考试委员会的工作分析调查为模板，并改编自英国整脊疗法总会调查中的问题，创建了一份瑞士调查问卷，并在进行内容效度和表面效度测试后，在线发布供瑞士整脊疗法协会的260名成员填写。参与是自愿且匿名的。数据录入Excel电子表格，并计算描述性统计数据。
回复率为70%。瑞士整脊治疗师与其国际同行在最常治疗的疾病、这些疾病的常见病因、最常见的就诊年龄组以及最常用的治疗方法方面存在相似之处。差异在于，在瑞士，有很高比例的患者是由不同医学专科医生直接转诊至整脊治疗师处；瑞士整脊治疗师最常见的患者类型是急性患者，其次是亚急性患者；瑞士对继续教育时长的要求高得多；与美国的从业者相比，诊断成像的使用较少。
瑞士的整脊疗法实践是一种得到政府认可的医学专业，有大量跨专业转诊，使得许多患者能更早接受整脊治疗。然而，瑞士的整脊疗法从业者仍然保持着他们的专业身份和实践重点。
