A Survey of the Use of Evidence-Based Health Care in Chiropractic College Clinics

The purpose of this article is to explore to what extent evidence-based health care (EBHC) methods are being utilized in chiropractic college clinics. A survey was mailed to the clinic administrator/director of every chiropractic college identified worldwide. The response rate was 78%. A majority of colleges required their interns to participate in oral case presentations (67%) and write case reports (65%), but only small minorities were required to generate research questions (11%) or conduct literature searches routinely (18%). No college required their interns to participate in formal journal clubs. Interns were more likely to rely on clinic faculty, preclinic class instruction, and textbooks for information on how to deal with clinic cases, rather than literature searches or health care journal articles. This study seems to show that EBHC methods are not being widely used in chiropractic college clinics worldwide. The literature suggests that EBHC can result in better patient care. EBHC methods should be incorporated into chiropractic college clinic practices. Effective strategies for implementation need to be developed, and faculty development will be required.