The Prevalence of Chiropractic-specific Terminology on South African Chiropractors’ Websites: a Cross-sectional Study

Abstract Background: Effective communication is imperative for successful interprofessional collaborative interactions that augment both patient centred, and evidence based care. Inquiry into the prevalence of chiropractic-specific terminology on South African chiropractor’s websites has not been explored to date. The implications of such analysis could indicate the professions’ ability to effectively communicate in interdisciplinary settings. Method: A Google search was utilised to access South African chiropractor practice websites. Websites were then word-searched for eight chiropractic terms and the context with which these terms were used were screened: subluxation, manipulate (-ion), adjust (-ing/-ment), holism (-tic), alignment, vital (-ism/-istic), wellness, and innate intelligence. The data collected was transferred to an Excel spreadsheet, that was verified by the researchers. The number of instances these terms were used, and certain socio-demographic data were recorded both nationally and provincially where descriptive and correlational statistics were applied using cross-tabulations and multi-dimensional chi-squared tests. Results: Based on an estimate of 884 chiropractors practising in South Africa, 336 websites were appraised. A total of 67.2% of South African chiropractor websites used chiropractic-specific terminology more than once. Nation-wide prevalence of each chiropractic-specific term was: 1106 occurrences for adjust(-ing/-ment), 611 for manipulate(-ion), 324 for wellness, 231 for subluxation, 220 for alignment, 139 for holism(-tic), 2 for innate intelligence and 1 for vital(-ism/-istic), Western Cape having the highest prevalence. Manipulate(-ion) was used more by male than female chiropractors (p=0.032). The longer a chiropractor was in practice the more likely they were to use profession-specific terms like adjust(-ing/-ment) (p=0.027) or alignment (p=0.001). Correlations exist between adjust(-ing/-ment) (p=0.000), alignment (p=0.000), manipulate(-ion) (p=0.025) and wellness (p=0.001) to the term subluxation. The words wellness (p=0.000) and manipulate(-ion) (p=0.011) also showed a correlation to the term holism. Conclusion: South African chiropractors on average use at least one chiropractic-specific term on their websites, and the more years of practice one has, the more likely they were to use chiropractic-specific terminology. The male sex showed a preference for the term manipulate(-ion). Adjustment (-ing/-ment) was the most commonly used term, a term that generally lacks medical acceptance. The use of certain combinations of chiropractic-specific terms showed statistically significant correlational trends.