Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Queensland, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

A dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Master's Diploma in Technology: Chiropractic, Technikon Natal, 1996. / The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of back pain in chiropractors in South Africa, in terms of workplace factors which surrounded them and individual factors which they possessed, in order to establish under which circumstances, workplace and individual factors possibly influenced the prevalence of back pain in chiropractors.The total population of South African chiropractors (N=138), registered with the Chiropractors, Homoeopaths and Allied Health Service Professions Council of South Africa for 1994, were sent a questionnaire. A total of 68 questionnaires returned, which represented a 49,3 % response rate. The questionnaire consisted of questions regarding : the prevalences of back pain and low back pain; the intensity and frequency of back pain; the prevalence of different pain locations eg. headache, cervical pain, lumbar pain etc.; the workplace factors included : static work postures, bending, twisting and lifting, repetitive work, overexertion, ergonomics, psychological work factors, number of hours and days worked per week; the individual factors included age and gender, anthropometry, posture, physical fitness, spinal mobility, psychological factors, social factors, environmental factors and the number of years in practice. The results were statistically analyzed using crosstabulation and Log-linear analysis. The results were represented by cross-tabulations, bar and pie charts and then descriptively analyzed. The overall prevalence of back pain amongst South African chiropractors was 55,9% and the low back pain prevalence was 65,1%. Among other findings, certain ergonomic factors such as desk and physical examination table heights were found to be significantly associated with the respondents having more back pain. Those respondents who exercised for longer than 60 minutes per exercise session had significantly less back pain than those respondents who exercised for shorter periods of time. Of interest was that those respondents who used adjustment techniques which required the use of force, had significantly more back pain than those who used non-force techniques. It must be emphasized that extreme caution should be exercised in attempting to generalise the findings of this survey, since the workplace and individual factors associated with back pain were based on the respondent's subjective evaluations. This study was not designed to establish cause and. effect relationships between workplace and individual factors, and the prevalence of back pain amongst chiropractors. / M

With the Singapore Government's initiation of regulating the alternative and complementary professions, the chiropractic profession in Singapore now has the opportunity to influence its own destiny through implementation of self-regulation. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how a small professional group, exemplified by the members of the Chiropractic Association (Singapore) (TCAS), with a relevant outcome in mind, can lead to a redefinition of its role by using Participatory Action Research (PAR) to formulate self-regulation for the group. The central question addressed in this study is: How does a relatively small professional organisation, such as a chiropractic association, self-regulate in a changing health care environment? / An evaluation of Participatory Action Research as part of the professionalisation was presented. This has implications for research theory. It was demonstrated that a qualitative- process of theory-building approach as a way of developing self-regulation in a small professional group was practical. This approach, furthermore, was helpful in bridging the gap between practice and research with all members of the association fully engaged in the process of being critically reflective of their future roles in the health care market to the extent it is possible in the local context. / Thesis (PhDBusinessandManagement)--University of South Australia, 2005.

No description available.

No description available.

Thesis (M.Tech. (Chiropractic))--University of Johannesburg, 2007. / Also available via World Wide Web.

M.Tech. / “It is through cooperation, rather than conflict, that your greatest successes will be derived” (www.inspiring-quotes-and-stories.com, 26 March 2007). This proclamation can be aptly applied to the notion that an integrated healthcare team that is open to an interdisciplinary approach to a patient’s healthcare needs, will have the patient’s best interests at heart and most likely a holistic solution as opposed to treating the patient with individual approaches. The aim of this study was to establish the inter-referral patterns between Chiropractors and Physiotherapists in the Western and Northern regions of Johannesburg, as there had been no research conducted in this regard. In this way an assessment of interdisciplinary communication and referral could be established between the two professions and steps could then be initiated to improve this if found necessary. A questionnaire was sent to Chiropractors and Physiotherapists in this region. These questionnaires were tailored to the professional discipline of the subject. It asked a range of questions relating to their background, knowledge of the other profession being surveyed and their opinion on the credibility of the other profession’s ability to treat certain conditions. The results were then tabulated and statistically calculated and verified to establish the end results. The results of this study found that Chiropractors were more open to referrals to Physiotherapists regarding only certain conditions, whilst Physiotherapists were less inclined to refer to Chiropractors in general.

M.Tech.

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for a Masters Degree in Technology, Durban University of Technology, 2010. / It is well documented that the chiropractic profession has been searching for a unified professional identity. Acknowledging this need for a professional identity relevant to the public, the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) attempted to address these concerns by conducting an international questionnaire based Identity Consultation. However, of the 3689 chiropractors who responded, only 34 were from South Africa. Therefore this study aimed to determine the perception of South African chiropractors regarding their public identity and to compare the results with those from international studies. Objectives: To determine the demographic profile of South African chiropractors, and how they perceived their professional identity relative to their own opinions, those of the public and those of medical doctors. This study investigated how South African chiropractors saw their profession relative to physiotherapy and South African chiropractor’s knowledge of the WFC Identity Consultation. Method: The study was a population based demographic study making use of a descriptive, observational, cross sectional design. It was a quantitative selfadministered questionnaire distributed to those South African chiropractors meeting the inclusion criteria (n=398). The WFC Identity Consultation questionnaire was modified and developed by the researcher to suit a South African audience after permission was obtained from the chairperson of the WFC. Results: A response rate of 30.15% was obtained. Ninety percent of South African chiropractors felt that it was important for their profession to have a clear identity. However, only 1.7% agreed that it did have a clear identity. When asked how the public viewed chiropractic, 45% felt that the public had no clear perception of the profession, with 92.5% viewing it as Complementary and The Perceptions of South African Chiropractors, Regarding Their Professional Identity iv Alternative Medicine (CAM). However, 89.2% of South African chiropractors would like the public to perceive chiropractic as mainstream medicine. When asked how chiropractic was viewed by South African chiropractors relative to physiotherapy, it was agreed that they were two separate professions each with their own identity (74.2%). The chiropractic adjustment was seen as a strong brand advantage over physiotherapy. When asked how they thought medical doctors viewed chiropractic, 73.3% felt that they did not have a clear perception of the profession, with 96.7% considering medical doctors to view chiropractic as CAM. Medical doctors’ perceptions were considered to be very important with respect to inter-professional relations. Just over half (54.2%) of South African chiropractors knew about the WFC identity, less than half of whom (47.5%) agreed with it. Conclusions: The study revealed that there was a significant difference between how South African chiropractors thought the public and medical doctors currently perceived chiropractic and how they would like to be perceived. It revealed that like their international counterparts chiropractors in South Africa are striving for a unified identity that is different to the way they are currently perceived by the health care stakeholders.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2002. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 282-312). Also available on the Internet.