Guidelines of conduct in forensic practice.

As the profession of chiropractic grows in stature within our society, the morality of each chiropractor's conduct will be increasingly examined and scrutinized by the public, the media, the government and the profession itself. Immoral conduct occurs not by just a few unscrupulous individuals, but by a host of apparently good, successful professionals who lead what appear to be exemplary private lives. Recent increasing examples of professional and corporate moral decay as reported by chiropractic state boards, in print media, etc.

Functional and work capacity evaluation issues.

Functional capacity evaluation (FCE) may be defined as a systematic, comprehensive, and objective measurement of an individual's maximum abilities (ADL or work). The effect of the examinee's impairment on his or her ability to perform purposeful tasks is the focus of functional and/or work capacity evaluation (FCE/WCE). The common thread that connects all FCEs is the need for an evaluation of an individual with an unresolved residual.

An independent assessment of chiropractic practice guidelines.

Objective: To evaluate the quality of Recommended Clinical Protocols and Guidelines for the Practice of Chiropractic (ICA guidelines) published by the International Chiropractors Association (ICA), August, 2000.

Methods: The Appraisal Instrument for Clinical Guidelines (Cluzeau instrument) was applied to the ICA guidelines by 10 independent experienced evaluators. An independent, global assessment was also made by each evaluator.

Current standards for measuring spinal range of motion for impairment.

Measurement of spinal range of motion (ROM) along with strength, endurance, coordination, and sensation are among the essential determinants of musculoskeletal function. These measurements are important to the chiropractic physician concentrating in the fields of impairment rating, disability evaluation and independent medical examination (forensic examiner). An important initial step toward standardizing measurement of joint motion has been undertaken by the American Medical Association with their publication The Practical Guide to Range of Motion Assessment.