Reflection No.

A reflection on the general impression of specialists of chiropractic by likeliness to utilize chiropractic

care.

Upon viewing the likeliness to utilize chiropractic care, regardless of whether specific statistic
qualities were related with chiropractic care use, and whether the perception of chiropractors
shifted by the per-capita supply of chiropractors in nearby medical centres; a study by Weeks, W. et
al (2015) showed that utilisation of chiropractors varied directly to the number of chiropractors in
the vicinity. Without the use of studies, I feel that chiropractic in the U.S. is much more popular and
well received than it is here in Australia. In the general US populace, back and neck issues are among
the side effects most normally experienced, and uses for patients with spine issues are significantly
higher and are developing all the more quickly, than those for patients without spine issues.

As my skills as chiropractor are developing, many of my close friends that never new anything about
the methods and philosophy of chiropractic are now seeing chiropractors and are enthusiastic about
the future advancements of chiropractic in Australia. Term by term also my understanding of
chiropractic philosophy is increasing making me a better witness to speak on behalf of the
profession I represent when engaging in conversations regarding ethics, methods, and accountability
of chiropractors.

When trying to source information I mainly use journal articles that have been peer reviewed by
other medical professionals or medical journals of a high calibre. By only using peer reviewed
material it eliminates the chance of coming across inaccurate or misleading articles.

In order to advance the chiropractic profession and in public perception, it is largely needed to work
in groups consisting of peers and other doctors of chiropractic working in the field to start with. As
individual chiropractors become distinguished in their profession or clinical setting, the client base
will naturally share their experiences, both good and bad, with their close friends and family; adding
yet another member to the team based approach of addressing public perception.

Just by judging the quality of chiropractors being produced from CQUniversity and other universities,
I know that chiropractic in Australia has a strong and bright future. These perception and quality
conscious chiropractors like myself will create strong public relations in future placements and
clinical work. By reinforcing public relations and public education of chiropractic methods, overall it
will result in a positive change outcome.

I always have and will always continue to hold up the chiropractic profession whenever I can, I enjoy
the challenge of an educated dialog. As somebody that wants to have a long carrer in chiropractic I
want to see nothing but the advancement of chiropractic in both scientific studies and public
acceptance, especially in Australia.

References:

Weeks, W. B., Goertz, C. M., Meeker, W. C., & Marchiori, D. M. (2015). Public Perceptions of Doctors
of Chiropractic: Results of a National Survey and Examination of Variation According to Respondents
Likelihood to Use Chiropractic, Experience With Chiropractic, and Chiropractic Supply in Local Health
Care Markets. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 38(8), 533–544. doi:
10.1016/j.jmpt.2015.08.001