SCU Health Systems, Southern California University of Health Sciences, Whitter, California.
SCU Health Systems, Southern California University of Health Sciences, Whitter, California.
J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2021 May;44(4):280-288. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2020.07.010.
The purpose of this study was to assess the status, supply, demographics, and characteristics of chiropractic practice in the continent of Africa.
A survey consisting of questions on demographics, clinical practice, and patient profile was administered to 608 chiropractors practicing in the different countries of the African continent. Chiropractic association officers of each country were contacted via e-mail for assistance in the distribution of the survey link to chiropractors in their country. The initial questionnaire was pretested with a small group of chiropractors from 2 African countries-4 from Ethiopia and 6 from Botswana-to assess the validity of the questions. The legal status of the chiropractic practice was obtained from online resources. Descriptive statistics were conducted in Microsoft Excel.
Of the 54 countries in the continent of Africa, 23 countries were identified to have chiropractors. One hundred twenty-four surveys were returned from 15 countries with an overall response rate of 20.3% by clinicians with varying years in clinical practice. Nearly 84% of the chiropractors were between ages 26 and 50. More than 69% reported being a graduate of 1 of the 2 academic institutions located in Africa. Most chiropractors practice in South Africa. Most chiropractors practice in privately owned clinics, and 38% practice in multidisciplinary clinics. Nearly 92% reported using diversified technique and 27% used McKenzie exercises for treatment. Patients presented with a variety of conditions, predominantly chronic pain (59%).
This study provides a general overview on the status, supply, demographics, and characteristics of chiropractic practice in the continent of Africa. The supply of chiropractors in Africa is scarce and unevenly distributed. Although in the early stages of recognition, chiropractors in Africa are contributing to the care of people with musculoskeletal and spine-related disorders. Considering the high burden of spine pain, there appears to be potential for growth for chiropractic in the continent of Africa.
本研究旨在评估非洲大陆的脊骨疗法执业现状、供应情况、人口统计学特征和特点。
向在非洲大陆不同国家执业的 608 名脊骨治疗师发送了一份包含人口统计学、临床实践和患者特征等问题的调查。通过电子邮件联系各国脊骨疗法协会官员，协助向其国家的脊骨治疗师分发调查链接。最初的问卷在来自 2 个非洲国家的一小群脊骨治疗师中进行了预测试-4 名来自埃塞俄比亚，6 名来自博茨瓦纳-以评估问题的有效性。通过在线资源获取脊骨疗法执业的法律地位。在 Microsoft Excel 中进行描述性统计。
在非洲大陆的 54 个国家中，确定有 23 个国家有脊骨治疗师。从 15 个国家收到了 124 份调查回复，临床医生的总体回复率为 20.3%，他们的临床实践年限各不相同。近 84%的脊骨治疗师年龄在 26 岁至 50 岁之间。超过 69%的人报告毕业于非洲的 2 所学术机构之一。大多数脊骨治疗师在南非执业。大多数脊骨治疗师在私人诊所执业，38%在多学科诊所执业。近 92%的人报告使用多元化技术，27%的人使用麦肯锡疗法进行治疗。患者表现出各种病症，主要是慢性疼痛（59%）。
本研究提供了非洲脊骨疗法执业现状、供应、人口统计学特征和特点的总体概述。非洲的脊骨治疗师供应稀缺且分布不均。尽管在得到认可的早期阶段，非洲的脊骨治疗师正在为患有肌肉骨骼和脊柱相关疾病的人提供护理。考虑到脊柱疼痛的高负担，脊骨疗法在非洲大陆似乎有增长的潜力。
