Table 2.
Characteristics of unique patients in encounters as recorded by chiropractors by view of practicea (n = 2,332)
| Patient Characteristicsb | All patients (n = 2332) | Unorthodox view of practicea (n = 565) | Orthodox view of practice (n = 1767) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women | 1362 (58.4%) | 345 (61.1%) | 1017 (57.6%) |
| Age in years, mean (SD) | 48.5 (18.5) | 47.0 (19.7) | 48.9 (18.0) |
| Age categories, in yearsc | |||
| < 15 | 101 (4.4%) | 33 (5.9%) | 68 (3.9%) |
| 15–24 | 163 (7.0%) | 51 (9.2%) | 111 (6.3%) |
| 25–44 | 627 (27.1%) | 138 (24.8%) | 489 (27.9%) |
| 45–64 | 966 (41.8%) | 216 (38.9%) | 750 (42.7%) |
| 65–74 | 299 (12.9%) | 84 (15.1%) | 215 (12.3%) |
| ≥ 75 | 156 (6.8%) | 34 (6.1%) | 122 (6.9%) |
| Rural location of residence | 378 (16.2%) | 98 (17.4%) | 280 (15.9%) |
| Non-English speaking background | 93 (4.1%) | 25 (4.6%) | 68 (3.9%) |
| Identifies as Aboriginal/Indigenous | 2 (0.1%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (0.1%) |
| Employment status | |||
| Employed | 1377 (64.0%) | 316 (62.5%) | 1061 (64.5%) |
| Home duties | 102 (4.7%) | 51 (2.6%) | 89 (5.4%) |
| Retired | 460 (21.4%) | 216 (21.2%) | 353 (21.5%) |
| Student | 196 (9.1%) | 84 (13.2%) | 129 (7.8%) |
| Unemployed/non-employed | 17 (0.8%) | 3 (0.6%) | 14 (0.9%) |
| Source of encounter payment | |||
| Workplace safety and insurance board | |||
| Yes | 21 (0.9%) | 2 (0.4%) | 19 (1.1%) |
| No | 2268 (99.1%) | 542 (99.6%) | 1726 (98.9%) |
| Motor vehicle accidentc | |||
| Yes | 65 (2.8%) | 9 (1.7%) | 56 (3.2%) |
| No | 2224 (97.2%) | 535 (98.4%) | 1689 (96.8%) |
| Veterans affairsc | |||
| Yes | 10 (0.4%) | 1 (0.2%) | 9 (3.2%) |
| No | 2279 (99.6%) | 543 (99.8%) | 1736 (96.8%) |
| Extended private health insurancec | |||
| Yes | 746 (32.6%) | 20 (3.7%) | 726 (41.6%) |
| No | 1543 (67.4%) | 524 (96.3%) | 1019 (58.4%) |
| Patient paidc | |||
| Yes | 1567 (68.5%) | 418 (76.8%) | 1149 (65.9%) |
| No | 722 (31.5%) | 126 (23.2%) | 596 (34.2%) |
| No chargec | |||
| Yes | 59 (2.6%) | 25 (4.6%) | 34 (1.9%) |
| No | 2230 (97.4%) | 519 (95.4%) | 1711 (98.1%) |
| Number of encounters | |||
| 1 | 1964 (84.3%) | 519 (91.9%) | 1445 (81.9%) |
| 2 | 260 (11.2%) | 37 (6.6%) | 223 (12.6%) |
| ≥ 3 | 105 (4.5%) | 9 (1.6%) | 96 (5.44%) |
| Encounter characteristics | |||
| Diagnosis | |||
| Subluxation | 1096 (32.5%) | 545 (74.4%) | 551 (20.8%) |
| Other | 2282 (67.6%) | 188 (25.7%) | 2094 (79.2%) |
| Duration of encounter in minutes, median (IQR)c | 15 (10–25) | 10 (7–14) | 15 (10–30) |
| Unimodal manipulative treatment | 101 (3.0%) | 91 (12.4%) | 10 (0.4%) |
| Non-musculoskeletal condition as reason for encounter | 30 (0.9%) | 22 (3.0%) | 8 (0.3%) |
| Patient characteristics | |||
| Some activity limitations due to pain (n = 1559) | 336 (21.6%) | 60 (18.2%) | 276 (22.4%) |
| Excellent/very good health status (n = 1559) | 1253 (80.4%) | 263 (79.9%) | 990 (80.5%) |
IQR interquartile range
aUnorthodox view of practice defined as viewing vertebral subluxation as an encumbrance to the expression of health that is corrected to benefit patient well-being
bNumber (%) of encounters unless otherwise specified
cDo not add up to 100% due to missing values