Scott Batten

CP 1102
February 8th, 2016.
IPE/IPC and Public Health: Complementary and alternative health care; integrative medicine
The Chiropractic profession has evolved over the years to become a mainstream form of
healthcare. This journey has not been easy, and their have been many setbacks along the way. But the
profession and the people involved in it continued to fight and are still fighting to this day to bring the
profession to present day. Throughout time, Chiropractic as been looked down upon by other medical
professions such as medical doctors and physiotherapists. Although these things still do exist to a
certain degree, there have been many strides taken to integrate all of these medical fields together and
provide the best possible care. Such things as inter-professional/interdisciplinary education,
collaboration, and collaborative patient-centred practice have been implemented for the betterment of
society and it's people.
Inter-professional/interdisciplinary education is very common in today's society. Interprofessional/interdisciplinary education is two professions working together to improve the quality of
care that they give1. Chiropractor's are considered a generalist primary health care provider for
neuromusculoskeletal conditions, musculoskeletal and spine specialists, and a provider an alternative
approach to medicine1. These characteristics of chiropractic allow for chiropractor's to be involved in
an inter-professional setting and allow them to contribute. Inter-professional and interdisciplinary
education need to be constantly reinforced. Statistics should be shown about how the quality of care
has improved since professions have started working together. Although this is more common in
today's society there are still challenges to full integration. Healthcare providers are often tempted to
take a few procedures from another field and call this inter-professionalism but, true interprofessionalism will come with common goals, agreed-upon roles, and a process to reach these goals1.
Collaboration is an inter-professional process combining the skills of health care providers
which influence the care provided1. Collaboration is a great thing for patients because ultimately they
want the best care possible. Creating a collaborative practice involves having a healthcare provider
realize that they need additional expertise1. Collaboration is often done through a referral to someone
the healthcare provider knows or a specialist in the specific condition1. Collaboration is often done on
a case by case basis, and involves a lot of respect between the individual's1. The process of
collaborating involves sharing ideas and thoughts that can help the patient. When collaborating
healthcare providers must remember to provide patient-centred care.
Collaborative-patient centred care promotes the active participation of all healthcare providers
involved1. Collaborative-patient centred care enhances family/patient centred goals and values, allows
communication among professionals, and the promotion of respect among the individual's involved1.
Collaborative patient-centred care ties in the above terms such as inter-professional/interdisciplinary
education and collaboration. Collaborative patient-centred care provides patients with the optimal
knowledge and treatment plans they need to get better. It also allows for the patients to be put ahead of
everything else. Collaborative-patient centred care allows for multiple ideas to be thought of and given
the patient for the best treatment options.
Involving other professions into your practice and be involved in your patients recovery can
only benefit them and yourself. Having multiple thought processes increases the likelihood of patient
recovery. Although this is more common in today's society it still needs to be worked on and promoted

more.
The role of chiropractic in public health has greatly increased over time and is still continuing to
grow. Healthcare is not as simple as it used to be and these providers are provided new challenges.
These challenges include incorporating multiple determinants of health in clinical care, practice
preventive healthcare, integrate population based care and services, provide culturally sensitive care,
partner with communities, work in interdisciplinary teams, and advocate for protection of the health of
the public1. Public health can be defined as the science and the art of preventing disease, prolonging
life, and promoting physical health and efficiency through organized community efforts1. The role of
chiropractic in public health has changed over time. Chiropractor's are now looked at as responsible
for promoting a healthy life and active lifestyle1. Chiropractor's are much more involved in the
community and are visible to the public. Chiropractor's are also involved with many public health
organizations such as the American Public Health Association,World Health Organization, and the
World Federation of Chiropractic1. Chiropractor's involvement with the APHA started in 1984 with the
development of the Chiropractic forum1. The World Federation of Chiropractic was founded in 1988
and is a non-governmental organization of the World Health Organization1. The World Federation of
Chiropractic primary function is to support the international programs of the World Health
Organization1. Epidemiology is considered the foundation of public health1. It can be defined as the
study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations,
and the application of this knowledge to control health problems1. Epidemiology is a major field and
includes things such as surveillance, investigation, analysis, and issues related to the use of information
in the clinical setting1.

References
1. Haldeman S. Principles and Practice of Chiropractic. 3rd Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill
Medical Publishing Division; 2005.