Mixed methods systematic review of the literature base exploring working alliance in the chiropractic profession

Dima Ivanova; Felicity L. Bishop; Dave Newell; Jonathan Field; Madeleine Walsh

doi:10.1186/s12998-022-00442-4

Table 3
Summary of studies included in the qualitative synthesis
Study reference number Country Participants Data collection methods Data analysis methods
[37] United States (US) Trained and licensed chiropractor in a small town in the American Midwest Ethnographic case-report Not explicitly specified, but healing performance of a chiropractor is proposed to contain four intrinsic claims to trustworthiness
[34] US 20 Patients at the group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound Discussion groups Information for the qualitative analysis and findings was limited
[44] Canada 6 Chiropractors licensed with the College of Chiropractors of British Columbia Interviews Thematic analysis
[42]  US 15 Randomly selected participants from the 29 participants randomised to the chiropractic group Interviews Grounded theory approach
[46] Canada 197 Participants were recruited from 20 participating chiropractors in Ontario Interviews using Flanagan’s Critical Incident Technique Inductive content analysis
[35] Australia  208 Patients were observed Recording duration of all patient–practitioner interactions was recorded, some were audiotaped, notes taking Thematic analysis
[36] Australia 9 Chiropractors and 173 patients Interviews Data were analysed by comparing the responses of individual patients with those of their practitioner in each of 173 case studies
[39] US 171 Participants part of a randomised control trial Interviews Interactive approach to qualitative content analysis
[45] Canada 6 Focus groups, a total of 69 patients Focus group sessions Qualitative content analysis (an interpretive approach)
[38] US A male family chiropractor and a sample of 57 people, who made a total of 104 office visits between them Data were collected through (1) audiotape of all clinical interaction of the chiropractor for 8 days, (2) formal and informal interviews with the chiropractors., his staff, and patients Data was content analysed using the modified Bales method of process analysis [69]
[43] Canada 11 Chiropractors and nine patients Interviews Grounded theory approach
[47] US 60 Participants in the Crotched Mountain Individual interviews or focus groups Thematic content analysis
[40] Canada 3 Female patients and 3 male patients in the Halifax metro area, Nova Scotia, Canada Focused ethnographic approach involving 16 semi-structured interviews A systematic approach for analysing ethnographic data developed by Roper and Shapira [70]
[41] Canada 90 Participants were recruited from two private chiropractic clinics in Calgary, Alberta, Canada Interviews Thematic analysis

Study reference number	Country	Participants	Data collection methods	Data analysis methods
[37]	United States (US)	Trained and licensed chiropractor in a small town in the American Midwest	Ethnographic case-report	Not explicitly specified, but healing performance of a chiropractor is proposed to contain four intrinsic claims to trustworthiness
[34]	US	20 Patients at the group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound	Discussion groups	Information for the qualitative analysis and findings was limited
[44]	Canada	6 Chiropractors licensed with the College of Chiropractors of British Columbia	Interviews	Thematic analysis
[42]	US	15 Randomly selected participants from the 29 participants randomised to the chiropractic group	Interviews	Grounded theory approach
[46]	Canada	197 Participants were recruited from 20 participating chiropractors in Ontario	Interviews using Flanagan’s Critical Incident Technique	Inductive content analysis
[35]	Australia	208 Patients were observed	Recording duration of all patient–practitioner interactions was recorded, some were audiotaped, notes taking	Thematic analysis
[36]	Australia	9 Chiropractors and 173 patients	Interviews	Data were analysed by comparing the responses of individual patients with those of their practitioner in each of 173 case studies
[39]	US	171 Participants part of a randomised control trial	Interviews	Interactive approach to qualitative content analysis
[45]	Canada	6 Focus groups, a total of 69 patients	Focus group sessions	Qualitative content analysis (an interpretive approach)
[38]	US	A male family chiropractor and a sample of 57 people, who made a total of 104 office visits between them	Data were collected through (1) audiotape of all clinical interaction of the chiropractor for 8 days, (2) formal and informal interviews with the chiropractors., his staff, and patients	Data was content analysed using the modified Bales method of process analysis [69]
[43]	Canada	11 Chiropractors and nine patients	Interviews	Grounded theory approach
[47]	US	60 Participants in the Crotched Mountain	Individual interviews or focus groups	Thematic content analysis
[40]	Canada	3 Female patients and 3 male patients in the Halifax metro area, Nova Scotia, Canada	Focused ethnographic approach involving 16 semi-structured interviews	A systematic approach for analysing ethnographic data developed by Roper and Shapira [70]
[41]	Canada	90 Participants were recruited from two private chiropractic clinics in Calgary, Alberta, Canada	Interviews	Thematic analysis