P05.25. Exploring the safety culture in spinal manipulative therapy: interviews with key informants and frontline practitioners

Abstract

Recent surveys estimate that 50% of Canadians have received spinal manipulation therapy (SMT), most commonly for back and neck pain. Despite its popularity, no formal safety reporting and learning mechanisms exist to allow Canadian regulated health professions who provide SMT to monitor and reduce related harms. This study explores what stakeholders in Alberta perceive to be the barriers to, and opportunities for, the development of a safety culture in SMT.

Newspaper portrayals of spinal manipulation therapy: Canada, United States, and the United Kingdom

“…As noted, fewer than half of the articles discussed evidence of efficacy and less than a quarter touched on issues of risk. Given that these are, arguably, the two biggest health policy issues associated with SMT, 15,[21][22][23][24][25] the relative absence of coverage in most SMT articles is less than ideal. Indeed, might the large portion of the articles that were neutral in tone -and which did not mention efficacy, benefits or risks -imply that SMT is a routine, effective and safe therapy to treat back pain and sports-related injuries?…”