ACC Call for Scientific Submissions

Association of Chiropractic Colleges

Educational Conference and Research Agenda Conference

March 17-19, 2016

 

ACC-RAC Call for Scientific Submissions

due by September 15, 2015

 

Conference Theme:  The theme for the 2016 conference is “Best Practices;” however, submissions may be in any of the categories listed below.

 

Categories:  The call for ACC-RAC scientific submissions invites original research that promotes the dissemination and discussion of new information in the following research categories:

 

·         Basic Science (e.g. experimental trials, quantitative basic science research, etc.)

·         Education (e.g. classroom research, quantitative/qualitative education/administration research, etc.)

·         Clinical (e.g. clinical trials, quantitative/qualitative clinical research, cohort studies, etc.)

·         Case Studies/Reports (e.g. clinical case reports or case series)

·         Public Health (e.g. population health studies, preventive care, etc.)

·         Integration (e.g. research on integration of chiropractic services into hospital settings, etc.)

·         Conference Theme - “Best Practices” (e.g. best practices in education, research, clinical practice, chiropractic profession, college administration, healthcare, etc.)

 

Important Information:  Please note the following:

 

1.     Presentation of accepted work is expected.  Authors must register and attend the conference to present.  An author who does not register and present an accepted work will be disqualified from submitting/presenting for the following two years.

2.     It is the author’s responsibility to find funding to register and attend the conference.  It is strongly recommended that funding is secured or confirmed in advance of submission.  Registration for the conference is required, or the invitation to present will be revoked.  Only authors may present at the conference. 

3.     If accepted, a 195-word maximum abstract will be printed in the conference proceedings in the Journal of Chiropractic Education.  This will allow you to publish your completed paper in any journal you wish.

4.     Due to time and space limitations, and ability to cover poster presentations, a maximum of 2 poster presentations per author/presenter are allowed. 

5.     If the submission does not meet the submission requirements (e.g. not a completed research study, missing items, etc.), it will not be accepted for review.  The ACC-RAC peer review chair will not contact authors if any submission does not meet the requirements.  Notification will be sent out as a rejection notice.  Concept submissions and incomplete works will be rejected.

6.     It is the responsibility of the primary author to ensure that all requirements are met.  The primary author will be the contact person responsible for submission of all required materials and all correspondence.  Please do not send communications through a third party, staff member, or co-author.

7.     The peer review board may request additional information for any item that is submitted.  This may be for internal quality control purposes or to check on materials if a concern is raised.

8.     If the peer review board confirms that there is an inappropriate submission, it will be disqualified.  Examples of inappropriate submissions include, but are not limited to, submissions that have been previously submitted at ACC-RAC, incomplete submissions, concept submission, duplicate submissions, no human subjects/ethics review when one was necessary (excludes expedited review), no signed patient consent form for case reports/series, non-authors listed as authors, plagiarized work, etc.

9.     Only emailed submissions to the ACC-RAC peer review committee chair will be considered.  No faxed, mailed, or hand delivered submissions will be considered.

 

All submissions will be evaluated for completeness, strength of contribution to the profession, and relevance to the ACC-RAC conference.  Submissions will be reviewed by the peer review committee based upon the following criteria:

 

·         Practical Significance

·         Originality

·         Theoretical/Conceptual Framework

·         Quality of Experimental or Descriptive Design

·         Discussion/Findings/Results

·         Clarity of Presentation of Findings

·         Conclusions

·         Interpretation of Results

·         Implications for Chiropractic Education/Research/Practice

·         Citation of Appropriate Literature

·         Applicability to the Chiropractic Profession/Classroom Use/Future Research/Critical Concerns/Etc.

·         Completed Study

·         Overall Rating of the Paper

 

Instructions:  This call for scientific submissions invites original research that will promote the dissemination and discussion of new information.  To be considered, please submit all of the following items no later than September 15, 2015:

 

€           Blinded Submission

 

·         Word Count - 2100 words or less for peer reviewers to assess the quality of completed work.  References are expected but not included in word count.

·         Completed Study - Incomplete work is not accepted (e.g. an idea for a project that has not yet begun, a project begun but no data collected, etc.).

·         Headings - Please include headings, such as Title, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, and References.

·         Blinding - Please omit author names and/or institutional affiliations anywhere in the title or text of the file.

·         Graphs/Tables - Include no more than two of any combination in the Word document:  diagrams, figures, pictures, graphs, or tables (e.g. one graph and one table).  Please do not submit separate files, videos, or slide shows.  Refrain from including websites or links to websites, videos, etc., anywhere in the blinded file. 

·         Size - Use 12-point font and double-spacing.  File size limit is 2MB.

·         File Name Protocol - Name the file Last Name, First Name, Conference Year, Number of Submission, and Proposal.  For example:  StevensonTammi2016-1-Proposal

 

Please submit these materials to the following website: www.OpenConf.org/ACCRAC2016.  Submissions that do not meet the above requirements will not be accepted. 

 

 

€           Abstract

 

·         Word Count - 195 words or less for conference proceedings only; abstracts will be published in the Journal of Chiropractic Education if submission is accepted. 

·         Headings - Please include subheadings in the abstract.  For research studies, use the subheadings Objective, Methods, Results, and Conclusion.  For case reports, use the subheadings Objective, Clinical Features, Intervention and Outcome, and Conclusion.  Please do not include references, pictures, tables, or figures in the abstract.

·         Blinding - Please omit title, author information, institutional affiliations, and/or references in the abstract field.

·         Size - Use 12 point font and double-spacing.

·         File Name Protocol - Name the file Last Name, First Name, Conference Year, Number of Submission, and Abstract.  For example:  StevensonTammi2016-1-Abstract

 

Please submit these materials to the following website: www.OpenConf.org/ACCRAC2016.  Submissions that do not meet the above requirements will not be accepted. 

 

 

 

€           Signature Form

 

·         Required Signatures - Corresponding author must collect and submit signed authorship forms for all authors.

·         Commitment - Presenting author must register and attend the conference.  Funding should be confirmed in advance of submission.  Submission is a commitment from authors to present accepted submissions at the conference. 

·         File Name Protocol - Name the file Last Name, First Name, Conference Year, Number of Submission, and Authorship.  For example:  StevensonTammi2016-1-Signature

 

Please submit these materials to ACCPeerReview@aol.com.  Submissions that do not meet the above requirements will not be accepted. 

 

€           Ethics Materials

 

·         Human Subjects Research - Studies involving human subjects (surveys, observational, and any research studies) must be approved by proper Institutional Review Board (IRB’s)/Research Ethics Boards (REB’s)/Ethics Committees.  State these processes in the blinded submission.  Questions should be directed to your institution’s board/committee.  Submit a copy of the signed approval, expedited review, or exemption letter from the IRB/REB/Ethics Chair. For studies not involving human subjects (e.g. literature review), this document is not required. 

·         Case Studies - Case studies (case reports) require consent forms, unless your institution also requires IRB/REB/Ethics review.  For case studies, submit a patient consent to publish form from your institution, a journal, or other consent form.

·         File Name Protocol - Name the file Last Name, First Name, Conference Year, Number of Submission, and/or Ethics/Consent.  For example:  StevensonTammi2016-1-Ethics (for IRB/REB/Ethics Committee documents) or StevensonTammi2016-1-Consent (for Case Study/Report Consent Forms).

 

Please submit these materials to ACCPeerReview@aol.com.  Submissions that do not meet the above requirements will not be accepted. 

 

Process:  Once all items are submitted, the submission will be evaluated by a blinded peer review committee, and these results will be sent to the ACC-RAC planning committee for review and final decision.  If accepted, all presenters must register and attend the conference.  Funding should be confirmed in advance of the submission, as submission is a commitment from the authors of presentation at the conference, if accepted.

 

Notification:  Corresponding authors will be notified of peer review results by Mid-November 2015.  For submissions that are accepted, an author is required to register and present the work at the conference.  All accepted presenters must register for the conference no later than December 15, 2015. 

 

If you have questions or concerns about this process, please contact:

 

Dana J. Lawrence, DC, MMedEd, MA

ACC-RAC Peer Review Chair

ACCPeerReview@aol.com

(563) 884-5302

 

Association of Chiropractic Colleges

Educational Conference and Research Agenda Conference

March 17-19, 2016

 

ACC-RAC Scientific Submission Signature Form

due by September 15, 2015

 

INSTRUCTIONS:   The presenting author should collect all signatures.  If more space is needed, or if authors are at different locations, please use additional pages.  Submit this completed form scanned as one document by September 15, 2015.

 

By signing this form:

 

1.       If accepted, I/we understand that I/we are responsible for all our own costs (e.g. travel, hotel, conference registration, etc.).  I/we understand that I/we are responsible to secure funding in advance of the submission and that lack of funding is not an acceptable rationale for withdrawing.

2.       I/we understand that presentation of an accepted submission at the conference is required. Authors of accepted submissions must register, attend, and be present at the scheduled session. 

3.       Submission is a commitment to present. I/We understand that withdrawing after acceptance will prevent us from submitting to future ACC-RAC annual conferences.

4.       I/We confirm that each of us qualify as an author and presenter of this submission, am/are responsible for all of its content, and give permission for (1) its presentation if accepted to the ACC-RAC conference, (2) the publication of the abstract  in the proceeding within the Journal of Chiropractic Education, and (3) am/are capable of presenting/defending all of its content

5.       I/we confirm that appropriate IRB/REB/Ethics Committee documents and/or patient consent to publish/present forms have been secured and are attached to the submission.

6.       I/we understand that presentations may not be used to promote any goods, products, or services.  All presentations must be done in a non-commercial and non-self-promotional manner.

7.       I/we will comply with the following due dates:

 

a.       Forms and materials for all authors are due no later than September 15, 2015.

b.       Presenters must register for the conference no later than December 15, 2015.

c.       PowerPoint files for platform presentations are due no later than March 1, 2016.   Multiple files for a single presentation must be combined into one master file before submitting.

 

Submission ID# (from Open Conference confirmation email)

Submission Title

Presenting Author (this author will register for the conference and present research)

Printed Name                                       Email Address                          Signature                                 Date

Corresponding/Lead Author (if different than Presenting Author)

Printed Name                                       Email Address                          Signature                                 Date

Co-Author(s) Printed Name                  Email Address                          Signature                                 Date

 

Please keep a copy of this completed form for your records.

Submit this form by September 15, 2015 to ACCPeerReview@aol.com.
Association of Chiropractic Colleges

Educational Conference and Research Agenda Conference

March 17-19, 2016

 

ACC-RAC Patient Case Consent for Publication/Presentation

due by September 15, 2015

 

Title of Case Study/Series:

 

Author(s) Names:

 

As the patient in this case study/series, I hereby give my consent for clinical information relating to my case to be reported at a scientific conference, in conference proceedings, and/or published in a scientific journal.

 

I understand that my name, initials, and/or any protected health information such as my identification number, billing information, address, etc., will not be published and that efforts will be made to conceal my identity, but that anonymity cannot be guaranteed.

 

I understand that the material may be published in a journal, the website of a journal, and/or in products derived from the publication. As a result, I understand that the material may be seen by the general public.

 

Name of Patient: (printed)

 

Signature of Patient: (or person giving consent on behalf of the patient, if patient is a minor or deceased)

 

Date Signed:

 

If you are not the patient, what is your relationship to him/her?  (The person giving consent should be a substitute decision maker, legal guardian, or hold power of attorney for the patient.)

 

Why is the patient not able to give consent?  (e.g. Is the patient a minor, incapacitated, deceased, etc.?)

 

If images of the patient’s face or distinctive body markings are to be published, the following section must also be signed in addition to the section above:

 

As the patient stated above, I give permission for images of my face or distinctive body markings to be published and recognize that I might therefore be identifiable even though my name and initials will not be published.

 

Signature of Patient: (or person giving consent on behalf of the patient, if patient is a minor or deceased)

 

Date Signed:

 

 

Please keep a copy of this completed form for your records.

Submit this form by September 15, 2015 to ACCPeerReview@aol.com.

ACC-RAC Call for Workshop Proposals

Association of Chiropractic Colleges

Educational Conference and Research Agenda Conference

March 17-19, 2016

Call for Workshop Proposals

Proposals are due by September 15, 2015

Purpose:  The purpose of ACC-RAC workshops is to develop the skills of its attendees, especially in the areas of research and education.  The workshop component of the conference focuses on the development of the research and educational capacity of the chiropractic profession through skill building and interactive workshops. 

Limited Submission:  Due to the volume of workshops and the limited time in the schedule, no more than one proposal may be submitted per person, and presenters can be listed on no more than one workshop proposal.

Selection Process:  The presenters and topics for these sessions are carefully selected and invited by the planning committee.  We receive many proposals and unfortunately cannot accept all of them. Workshops may not include any sales pitches, selling of materials, or promotion of proprietary materials.  The workshop proposal should be free of commercial bias and comply with the ethics of scholarly activities.  All presentations are to be done in a non-commercial and non-self-promotional manner. 

 Workshop proposals will be reviewed and selected based on their strength in the following areas:

1.    Skill Building - Workshops must provide attendees new skills and active learning strategies.  Workshops should not be lectures.  Workshops must dedicate the majority of time (50% or more) to hands-on skill building, active learning, and outcomes.  The workshops should provide direct and immediate application of skills and knowledge, thus providing a productive, developmental environment for attendees.

2.     Expertise of the Presenters (publications and/or research in this area) - In order to teach others skills, we would like to see that the workshop presenters have substantial expertise and experience in teaching and building the knowledge base for the workshop topic area.  This includes experience in teaching others in the topic area, performing research, and publishing in the topic/skill area.

3.     Targeted to a Specific Need - One goal of ACC-RAC is, “To provide a venue for training, learning, and research development for chiropractic educators and researchers in order to improve the emerging research capacity, knowledge, and productivity of chiropractic.”  To be sure we are meeting the needs of attendees, each workshop proposal should address one of the following categories:  Research; Education (faculty); Education (administration); and Clinical (private practice). 

4.     Collaborative Teams (teams of presenters from different institutions/organizations) - Collaborative teams provide better quality workshop presentations.  Therefore, collaboration is one goal of the conference.  We consider it a positive if workshop proposals include collaborative teams that involve individuals from more than one college.  This encourages cross-college interaction, can help focus on the skill-building content of the workshop instead of a particular institution, promotes sharing wisdom from multiple campuses, and may help improve professional relationships. 

5.     Diverse Presenters - Presenters may only be listed on one workshop proposal.  Having diverse workshop presenters allows others the opportunity to be part of a workshop, provides a more interesting set of workshops, prevents burnout from attendees seeing the same presenters, and prevents issues with overlapping scheduling. 

Presenters’ Responsibility for Travel, Lodging, Registration, and Other Costs:  By submitting this workshop proposal, you and your co-presenters are agreeing that each person named in the proposal will be responsible for funding their own travel, lodging, and conference registration.  Any costs of the supplies or other items are the responsibility of the presenters.  All presenters are required to register for the conference at the time of acceptance.  If accepted, you will be asked to supply a more detailed lesson plan, draft handouts, and draft PowerPoint presentation for your workshop by December 1, 2015. 

Instructions to Submit a Workshop Proposal:  Commitment from all presenters must be made at the time of initial submission.  All materials must be submitted at the time of application.  To be considered, please submit all of the following items no later than September 15, 2015:

1.     Online Proposal Submission - Enter and submit by September 15, 2015.

€        Title - Must be 10 words or less.

€        Abstract/Purpose - The description/purpose of the workshop should be two sentences or less and provide an explanation of what skills the attendee will gain by attending the workshop.

€        Presenters - List presenter and all co-presenters with their institutional/professional affiliations.  A presenter may only be included in one workshop submission.  Do not include people who are on other workshop proposals.

2.          Downloaded Proposal Submission - Complete and submit by September 15, 2015.

€        Complete - Workshop Proposal Form and save as a Word document.

€        Title - Must be 10 words or less.

€        Abstract/Purpose - The description/purpose of the workshop should be two sentences or less and provide an explanation of what skills the attendee will gain by attending the workshop.

€        Presenters - List presenter and all co-presenters with their institutional/professional affiliations.  A presenter may only be included in one workshop submission.  Do not include people who are on other workshop proposals.

€        Size - The Workshop Proposal document should not exceed 2MB.

€        Submit - Completed Workshop Outline (see below) form to the submission address as a Word document.

            Please submit your workshop proposal to Dr. Dana J. Lawrence at dana.lawrence@palmer.edu.

3.          Materials for All Presenters - Submit by September 15, 2015.

            Corresponding author must collect the following items from each presenter and email to Dr. Dana Lawrence preferably in one batch or on the same day:

€        Signed Workshop Author Signature Form(s).  This can be on one form or separate.  Scanned images accepted.

€        Current Curriculum Vitaes/Resumes for each presenter.  (Word or scanned images accepted.)

€        Brief Biosketches, using complete sentences, providing a 200 or less word description of the experience and research accomplishments that support the presenter(s) as experts in this topic area.  Please place all Biosketches into one Word or scanned document.

€        Color photographs (professional headshots) for each presenter, 200 dpi (jpeg or tif).

Once all items are submitted, the proposal will be evaluated by a blinded peer review committee, and these results will be sent to the ACC-RAC planning committee for review and final decision.  If accepted, all presenters must register and attend the conference.  Funding should be confirmed in advance of the submission of the workshop proposal.  Submission of the proposal is a commitment from the authors of accepted submissions to present at the conference.

If you have questions or concerns about this process, please contact:

Dana J. Lawrence, DC, MMedEd, MA
Senior Director, Center for Teaching and Learning

Palmer College of Chiropractic

Davenport, IA 52803

563-884-5302

dana.lawrence@palmer.edu

 

Palmer Davenport Homecoming 2016

Our annual Homecoming celebration has just ended. It went out with a (literal) bang with a beautiful fireworks display this past Saturday night. Prior to that, all the fireworks were inside, where we had some of the biggest leaders in our profession speak.

One of the biggest and most important sessions of the program was one that was led by Cynthia English. Cynthia works for the Gallup organization as a chief survey development person, and she worked closely with Palmer College on the second part of our identity project. Here, the public was surveyed about their attitudes and beliefs about chiropractic. This was the largest survey ever such conducted, and it involved over 5000 individuals who provided their insights and opinions. We learned that the use of chiropractic seems to be larger than past studies have shown, that people have generally quite positive attitudes toward chiropractic, that for those with little experience with the profession, uncertainty about insurance coverage and safety is a concern, and that the more people know about us, the more they like us. There are reams of data for us to study, but this is exciting stuff.

David Chapman-Smith, the past Secretary General of the World Federation of Chiropractic and new head of the international sports chiropractic association (FICS) looked at the growth of chiropractic world-wide, and also discussed his experience in looking at chiropractic identity with the WFC. Of note, their work informed Palmer’s identity work.

Drs. Christine Goertz and Bill Meeker provided a history of the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research. They looked at the steps the college took that led to our status today as the leading chiropractic research center worldwide, recipient now of over $35 million in federal funds. Dr. Goertz also introduced a new program- 20-20-20, which is designed to raise funds for chiropractic research.

Dr. George McAndrews, who was the lead attorney in the famous Wilk case, gave an utterly fascinating description of the legal strategies and maneuverings and behind-the-scenes information about that case. He showed where collusion occurred out in the public eye (you may never look at “Dear Abby” the same way again), and he looked at how he and his group was able to prevail. Mr. McAndrews brother Jerry was, by the way, past president of Palmer College.

And our closing session was from Dr. Lou Sportelli, past president of NCMIC Group and now head of the NCMIC Foundation. Between Dr. Sportell and Mr. McAndrews, those 2 may have done more on behalf of the chiropractic profession than any other 2 people now living. Dr. Sportelli gave lessons on leadership- how little things led to great change for him and for the profession. Lou’s little lessons are well worth noting; I found that I had followed many of them myself. And it was interesting to note that Dr. Sportelli- head of the profession’s largest insurance group- does not carry a cell phone. He has good people, you see…

I hope you had a chance to go and listen to these leading lights. It was a good time, and the break-out sessions were exciting as well.

More Brightspace Resources

One of the great things about our Brightspace learning platform is how many resources are available for you though the company website. For those who have not yet done so, you should join the Brightspace Community (https://community.brightspace.com/). This will link you to a network of users from across the country, who share ideas, post on message boards and can help you answer specific questions that arise during your application of the system. I am still myself a novice at the system, so I can’t always find answers for you, nor can some of our other resource people (notably, Doug Black at our Port Orange campus has done yeoman’s work with Brightspace and is a superb resource).

Brightspace has a video index of resources. It is located at https://community.brightspace.com/resources/videos. There are literally hundreds of short videos there. To help you locate some of the more useful I offer this list:

Assignment Grader Overview- Instructor: https://community.brightspace.com/resources/videos/videos/d2l_assignment_grader_overview_instructor

Calendar- Create an Event- Instructor: https://community.brightspace.com/resources/videos/videos/calendar_create_an_event_instructor

Classlist- Contact Learners- Instructor: https://community.brightspace.com/resources/videos/videos/classlist_contact_learners_instructor

Classlist- Impersonate a User- Instructor: https://community.brightspace.com/resources/videos/videos/classlist_impersonate_a_user_instructor

Content- Add a Module- Instructor: https://community.brightspace.com/resources/videos/videos/content_add_a_module_instructor

Content- Add a Release Condition- Instructor: https://community.brightspace.com/resources/videos/videos/content_attach_a_release_condition_instructor

Content- Delete a Module- Instructor: https://community.brightspace.com/resources/videos/videos/content_delete_a_module_instructor

Discussions- Create a Forum- Instructor: https://community.brightspace.com/resources/videos/videos/discussions_create_a_forum_instructor

Discussions- Create a Topic- Instructor: https://community.brightspace.com/resources/videos/videos/discussions_create_a_topic_instructor

Dropbox- Introduction- Instructor: https://community.brightspace.com/resources/videos/videos/instructor_dropbox_introduction

 

Thoughts on PowerPoint

Two web posts I recently read offer some suggestions of the proper use of PowerPoint in the classroom. I thought it would be good to cherry-pick some of the suggestions offered. Readers should also feel free to read the original full articles at:

https://www.utexas.edu/lbj/21cp/syllabus/powerpoint_tips.htm

https://www.utexas.edu/lbj/21cp/syllabus/powerpoint_tips2.htm

1.       Remember that PowerPoint is used to enhance the lecture material, not to simply repeat it. People read faster than you can speak; when you use just words (and I am guilty of this as much as anyone else), students will read, write and simply wait for the next slide. There is little engagement there.

2.       Keep the information on a slide to a minimum. Have you ever sat in a conference while someone projected a slide with 20 lines of text on it? What is important in that mass of text? Can it be read easily? Keep it simple and to the point.

3.       Forget about using all the tricks that PowerPoint offers- do not use transitions and animations from slide to slide. These take time and interrupt the flow of information. They add no information to what is being presented, and are really the mark of a novice.

4.       Make sure your slides are easily readable. Not all designs are the same. Some are busy or use odd color combinations. The new template slides from marketing are excellent in ensuring that what is on them can be easily read.

5.       Practice your presentation. Do not go in de novo and expect to be a master at your presentation. For conferences, in particular, it is important to anticipate time spent on presentation. I always think I have plenty of time, and I almost never do. Practice makes perfect.

6.       The audience should be looking at you most of the time, not the slide. There are many good books on how to make this happen, but relying on fewer slides, and with less text, but more pictorial elements, will help. Think of TED talks, for example.

7.       Make sure your version of the program is compatible with the computer and projection system that you will be using. This is critical in conferences, where you can lose embedded movie clips, mp3, etc. because they are using a more modern or more outdated version than yours.

8.       Use black slides every now and again- no text means they have to focus on you instead.

9.       Finally, speak well and clearly. Rely on yourself, not on the slides.

Two New Papers from Biomed Central

Kosloff TM, Elton D, Tao J, Bannister WM. Chiropractic care and the risk of vertebrobasilar stroke: results of a case–control study in U.S. commercial and Medicare Advantage populations. Chiropr Man Ther 2015,23:19  doi:10.1186/s12998-015-0063-x

ABSTRACT

Background: There is controversy surrounding the risk of manipulation, which is often used by chiropractors, with respect to its association with vertebrobasilar artery system (VBA) stroke. The objective of this study was to compare the associations between chiropractic care and VBA stroke with recent primary care physician (PCP) care and VBA stroke.

Methods: The study design was a case–control study of commercially insured and Medicare Advantage (MA) health plan members in the U.S. population between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2013. Administrative data were used to identify exposures to chiropractic and PCP care. Separate analyses using conditional logistic regression were conducted for the commercially insured and the MA populations. The analysis of the commercial population was further stratified by age (<45 a="" analysis="" as="" associations="" calculated="" chiropractic="" conducted="" descriptive="" determine="" different="" exposure="" for="" hazard="" manipulative="" measure="" o:p="" odds="" of="" periods.="" proxy="" ratios="" relevance="" secondary="" the="" to="" treatment.="" using="" visits="" was="" were="" years="">

Results: There were a total of 1,829 VBA stroke cases (1,159 – commercial; 670 – MA). The findings showed no significant association between chiropractic visits and VBA stroke for either population or for samples stratified by age. In both commercial and MA populations, there was a significant association between PCP visits and VBA stroke incidence regardless of length of hazard period. The results were similar for age-stratified samples. The findings of the secondary analysis showed that chiropractic visits did not report the inclusion of manipulation in almost one third of stroke cases in the commercial population and in only 1 of 2 cases of the MA cohort.

Conclusions: We found no significant association between exposure to chiropractic care and the risk of VBA stroke. We conclude that manipulation is an unlikely cause of VBA stroke. The positive association between PCP visits and VBA stroke is most likely due to patient decisions to seek care for the symptoms (headache and neck pain) of arterial dissection. We further conclude that using chiropractic visits as a measure of exposure to manipulation may result in unreliable estimates of the strength of association with the occurrence of VBA stroke.

Muramoto M, Matthews E, Ritenbaugh C, Nichter MA. Intervention development for integration of conventional tobacco cessation interventions into routine CAM practice. BMC Compl Altern Med 2015,15:96  doi:10.1186/s12906-015-0604-9

ABSTRACT

Background: Practitioners of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies are an important and growing presence in health care systems worldwide. A central question is whether evidence-based behavior change interventions routinely employed in conventional health care could also be integrated into CAM practice to address public health priorities. Essential for successful integration are intervention approaches deemed acceptable and consistent with practice patterns and treatment approaches of different types of CAM practitioners – that is, they have context validity. Intervention development to ensure context validity was integral to Project CAM Reach (CAMR), a project examining the public health potential of tobacco cessation training for chiropractors, acupuncturists and massage therapists (CAM practitioners). This paper describes formative research conducted to achieve this goal.

Methods: Intervention development, undertaken in three CAM disciplines (chiropractic, acupuncture, massage therapy), consisted of six iterative steps: 1) exploratory key informant interviews; 2) local CAM practitioner community survey; 3) existing tobacco cessation curriculum demonstration with CAM practitioners; 4) adapting/tailoring of existing curriculum; 5) external review of adaptations; 6) delivery of tailored curriculum to CAM practitioners with follow-up curriculum evaluation.

Results: CAM practitioners identified barriers and facilitators to addressing tobacco use with patients/clients and saw the relevance and acceptability of the intervention content. The intervention development process was attentive to their real world intervention concerns. Extensive intervention tailoring to the context of each CAM discipline was found unnecessary. Participants and advisors from all CAM disciplines embraced training content, deeming it to have broad relevance and application across the three CAM disciplines. All findings informed the final intervention.

Conclusions: The participatory and iterative formative research process yielded an intervention with context validity in real-world CAM practices as it: 1) is patient/client-centered, emphasizing the practitioner’s role in a healing relationship; 2) is responsive to the different contexts of CAM practitioners’ work and patient/client relationships; 3) integrates relevant best practices from US Public Health Service Clinical Practice Guidelines on treating tobacco dependence; and 4) is suited to the range of healing philosophies, scopes of practice and practice patterns found in participating CAM practitioners. The full CAMR study to evaluate the impact of the CAMR intervention on CAM practitioners’ clinical behavior is underway.

 

 

Desire2Learn Brightspace Roll-Out

That’s the news for this week. We rolled out our new learning management system, Brightspace. We had an in-service in which Doug Black of our Port orange campus spoke to teaching faculty, while Craig Mencl, also of the Port Orange campus, spoke to clinicians. The idea was to demonstrate how easy to use the system is. After the in-service, a number of us were available for one-on-one sessions with individual faculty, and I am happy to say a good number of people took advantage of that.

Users will quickly find out that is rather easy to upload content. Using the “Module” section, you can organize your course however you like. For me, right now, I am organizing it by modules simply title “Week One,” “Week Two,” etc. Thus, if all you wanted to do was recreate what you have on the portal- and you should provide everything on Brightspace that you did on the portal- that is a matter of a few minutes work (outside of uploading large video files, for example, which have to process over time).

But Brightspace is not a content-delivery system alone. If that is all it did, we could have stayed with the portal. Brightspace offers you the ability to do so much more. You can create discussion boards, develop self-assessments, send out mass or individual communications, have a blog for an individual class, etc. Over the course of this current term, you can get comfortable with the LMS, and be ready to expand what you do the next.

Your sandbox is a good place to experiment with what the system offers. What you do there will affect nothing anywhere else. Feel free to experiment and take advantage of this.

Note: next week I will be away riding RAGBRAI. No post until I return.