Prescription Rights

The Death Knell for the Prescription Rights Movement?

By Frank M. Painter|February 16, 2017|Prescription Rights|

The Death Knell for the Prescription Rights Movement?

This blog has posted extensively on the nascent prescription rights movement since early 2010.

The recent release (2-14-17) of American College of Physician’s new study ”Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain” appears to raise an evidence-based obstacle in the path to adding Rx rights to our profession.

In essence it recommends AGAINST prescribing drugs, although in a nod to prescribers, it does state:

“If pharmacologic treatment is desired, clinicians and patients should select nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or skeletal muscle relaxants”

A review of this complete study and its supporting documents, in particular the new review titled: ” Systemic Pharmacologic Therapies for Low Back Pain” clearly reveals that:

— nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs had smaller benefits for chronic low back pain than previously observed

— skeletal muscle relaxants are effective for short-term pain relief in acute low back pain but caused sedation.

If a majority of DCs choose to pursue prescription rights, that is their privilege. Based on Organized Medicine’s reactions against this movement in key States, this looks to be an extended and expensive uphill battle.

I can’t help but wonder: If DCs expended the same amount effort in developing relationships by referring needy patients for drug-based co-management, whether they might achieve wider professional acceptance, cooperation and increased market-share via embracing our status as a non-drug provider?

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Chiropractic Identity, Role and Future: A Survey of North American Chiropractic Students

By Frank M. Painter|September 6, 2016|Expanded Practice, Prescription Rights|

Chiropractic Identity, Role and Future: A Survey of North American Chiropractic Students

The Chiro.Org Blog

SOURCE: Chiropractic & Manual Therapies 2015 (Feb 2); 23 (1): 4

Jordan A Gliedt, Cheryl Hawk, Michelle Anderson,
Kashif Ahmad, Dinah Bunn, Jerrilyn Cambron,
Brian Gleberzon, John Hart, Anupama Kizhakkeveettil,
Stephen M Perle, Michael Ramcharan,
Stephanie Sullivan, and Liang Zhang

Logan University College of Chiropractic,
1851 Schoettler Rd,
Chesterfield, MO 63017 USA.

BACKGROUND: The literature pertaining to chiropractic students’ opinions with respect to the desired future status of the chiropractic physician is limited and is an appropriate topic worthy of study. A previous pilot study was performed at a single chiropractic college. This current study is an expansion of this pilot project to collect data from chiropractic students enrolled in colleges throughout North America.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to investigate North American chiropractic students’ opinions concerning professional identity, role and future.

METHODS: A 23-item cross-sectional electronic questionnaire was developed. A total of 7,455 chiropractic students from 12 North American English-speaking chiropractic colleges were invited to complete the survey. Survey items encompassed demographics, evidence-based practice, chiropractic identity and setting, and scope of practice. Data were collected and descriptive statistical analysis was performed.

RESULTS: A total of 1,247 (16.7% response rate) questionnaires were electronically submitted. Most respondents agreed (34.8%) or strongly agreed (52.2%) that it is important for chiropractors to be educated in evidence-based practice. A majority agreed (35.6%) or strongly agreed (25.8%) the emphasis of chiropractic intervention is to eliminate vertebral subluxations/vertebral subluxation complexes. A large number of respondents (55.2%) were not in favor of expanding the scope of the chiropractic profession to include prescribing medications with appropriate advanced training. Most respondents estimated that chiropractors should be considered mainstream health care practitioners (69.1%). Several respondents (46.8%) think that chiropractic research should focus on the physiological mechanisms of chiropractic adjustments.

There are more articles like this @ our:

Prescription Rights and
Expanded Practice Debate Page

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PRESCRIPTION RIGHTS: The Timex Topic: It Takes A Licking But Keeps On Ticking

By Frank M. Painter|August 29, 2016|Expanded Practice, Prescription Rights|

PRESCRIPTION RIGHTS: The Timex Topic: It Takes A Licking But Keeps On Ticking

The Chiro.Org Blog

SOURCE: Chiropractic & Manual Therapies 2016 (Aug 24)

Peter C. Emary, Taco A. W. Houweling, Martin Wangler, Stephen J. Burnie, Katherine J. Hood and W. Mark Erwin

201C Preston Parkway,
Cambridge, ON
N3H 5E8 Canada.

The last I heard, all the significant National and International Associations, who comprise the “Chiropractic Summit” had all agreed (back in 2013) that chiropractic should maintain Drug-Free. However, I am also a member of a FaceBook group (Evidence-Informed Chiropractic Medicine) and the topic keeps popping up.

Our Blog has posted on medical resistance to chiropractic’s use of manipulation under anesthesia (MUA), and that one STILL has me scratching my head. After all, the DC isn’t knocking anyone out, a medical anesthesiologist does that, so this inter-professional service benefits both our professions, as well (in theory) the Patient.

We have also posted on the “expanded practice” movement in general, and we don’t need to revisit that here.

So, I have collected all our Blog postings on the prescription rights and “expanded practice” movements into one nice neat package in the new Prescription Rights and Expanded Practice Debate page.

The upper Background Materials section contains all our Blog postings, and the lower Recent Additions section contains this and earlier thoughtful articles on the expanded-practice and prescription rights movement,

The last section is titled Drug Evidence and it includes articles discussing the evidence base for various drugs for spinal pain.

I have no interest in rehashing all those conversations. I hope that if this is a hot topic for you, that you will read all these materials, and then let them percolate. It’s called informed decision. You have to get informed before you set your Profession on a different course. I hope you will take the time to absorb these materials.

A Commentary on the Implications of Medication Prescription Rights for the Chiropractic Profession
Chiropractic & Manual Therapies 2016 (Aug 24)

There is a growing desire within the chiropractic profession to expand the scope of practice to include limited medication prescription rights for the treatment of spine-related and other musculoskeletal conditions. Such prescribing rights have been successfully incorporated into a number of chiropractic jurisdictions worldwide. If limited to a musculoskeletal scope, medication prescription rights have the potential to change the present role of chiropractors within the healthcare system by paving the way for practitioners to become comprehensive specialists in the conservative management of spine / musculoskeletal disorders.

However, if the chiropractic profession wishes to lobby to expand the scope of practice to include limited prescriptive authority, several issues must first be addressed. These would include changes to chiropractic education and legislation, as well as consideration of how such privileges could impact the chiropractic profession on a more theoretical basis. In this commentary, we examine the arguments in favour of and against limited medication prescription rights for chiropractors and discuss the implications of such privileges for the profession.

KEYWORDS: Attitudes; Behaviour; Chiropractic; Drug prescriptions; Evidence-based practice; Knowledge

From the FULL TEXT Article:

Background

Despite a growing number of surveys demonstrating a positive attitude among chiropractors and patients towards the limited use of medication within chiropractic practice, chiropractors remain unable to prescribe medication in most parts of the world [1–8] (2007 and 2011 Ontario Chiropractic Association member surveys: B. Haig; personal communication, 3 November 2014). In many countries, chiropractors also lack direct access to musculoskeletal (MSK) diagnostic imaging and laboratory testing – limitations that have real implications for the clinician in accurately diagnosing and managing their patient. Meanwhile, allied health care professions such as optometry, chiropody, and naturopathy have been steadily expanding their respective scopes’ of practice and gaining limited medication prescription rights relevant to their areas of training and expertise. [9–11] Most notable for chiropractors is that physiotherapists are also interested in and have been granted prescriptive authority in some countries. [12, 13] Moreover, there are increasing examples of physiotherapists with advanced training in medication prescription and diagnostic testing who now manage patients with MSK disorders at the primary care level. [14–16]

There are more articles like this @ our:

The Prescription Rights and Expanded Practice Debate Page

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