Developing integrative primary healthcare delivery: adding a chiropractor to the team.

Background: The use of complementary and alternative medicine has been increasing in Canada despite the lack of coverage under the universal public health insurance system. Physicians and other healthcare practitioners are now being placed in multidisciplinary teams, yet little research on integration exists.

Objective: We sought to investigate the effect of integrating chiropractic on the attitudes of providers on two healthcare teams.

Chiropractic care of musculoskeletal disorders in a unique population within Canadian community health centers.

Objective: This study was part of a larger demonstration project integrating chiropractic care into publicly funded Canadian community health centers. This pre/post study investigated the effectiveness of chiropractic care in reducing pain and disability as well as improving general health status in a unique population of urban, low-income, and multiethnic patients with musculoskeletal (MSK) complaints.

Methods: All patients who presented to one of two community health center-based chiropractic clinics with MSK complaints between August 2004 and December 2005 were recruited to participate in this study.