Chiropractic physicians in department of defense-based practices: A web-based survey

The integration of chiropractic services within the military health care system provides active duty military personnel access to essential services for the treatment and management of a variety of conditions. However, information regarding Department of Defense (DoD) based doctors of chiropractic and their practices is limited. A cross-sectional web-based survey was administered to evaluate chiropractic physician demographics and practice characteristics in DoD settings (n=66). Fifty-six completed surveys were received, yielding an 85% response rate. More than 96% of survey respondents practice full-time at a base hospital setting or a free-standing center on base that is shared with other physicians. Overall, respondents were white male non-veterans. Over 70% describe their DoD practice as a musculoskeletal specialty practice with low back pain presenting as the primary complaint. Neck pain and thoracic pain were ranked as the second and third most common complaints seen in practice, respectively. Ninety-three percent of survey respondents co-manage conditions, most commonly with physical therapists, general practitioners, and pain specialists. Further integration and delivery of chiropractic health care services within the DoD system necessitates additional research to better understand how the characteristics of doctors of chiropractic and their practices are able to best meet the health care delivery needs of our nation's active duty service personnel.