THE NEW ACA RESOLUTION ON CHIROPRACTIC - THE ROLE OF CHIROPRACTIC IN THE EVOLVING HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.

The role of chiropractic and primary health care is characterized by direct access, longitudinal, integrated, conservative ambulatory care of patients' health care needs, emphasizing neuromusculoskeletal conditions, health promotion, and patient centered diagnosis and management. The chiropractor in the primary health care system is a first contact gate keeper for neuromusculoskeletal conditions.

The principals outlined below are intended to better serve the health needs of the public. They also provide policy makers, other health care professionals in the public with a clear understanding for chiropractic. These principals are also intended to provide a focal point to which members of the profession can gravitate and allow the profession to pursue its legitimate aspirations for growth and development.

Chiropractors are first contact physicians who possess the diagnostic skills to differentiate health conditions that are amenable to their management from those conditions that require referral or co-management.

Chiropractors provide conservative management of neuromusculoskeletal disorders and related functional manifestations including, but not limited to, back pain, neck pain, and headaches.

Chiropractors are expert providers of spinal and other therapeutic manipulation/adjustments. They also utilize a variety of manual, mechanical and electrical therapeutic modalities. Chiropractors also provide patient evaluation and instructions regarding disease prevention and health promotion through proper nutrition, exercise, and life style modification, among others. The range of diagnostic and therapeutic services offered by chiropractic is dynamic and will be modified by education, research, technological change and society's evolving health care needs.

Chiropractic diagnostic and therapeutic goals should be achieved as safely, quickly and economically as possible to promote patient health and independence.

Optimal patient care can best be achieved when chiropractic is vertically integrated within the health care system. Interdisciplinary collaboration is essential to this purpose.

The diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines adopted by the profession should be evidence based. In health care, the absence or ambiguity of scientific evidence requires using sound clinical judgement in place of hard data.

Chiropractors offer accessible and appropriate care to all population groups.

Chiropractic recognizes the multifaceted aspects of health, disease, etiology and related patient care.