All Hands-on Deck!

Enhancing comprehensive primary care by integrating musculoskeletal care (chiropractic) on interprofessional teams – supporting education, competency attainment and optimizing integration

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Musculoskeletal conditions are the leading cause of disability in Canada and a significant burden to people, their families, communities, health systems and economies.  In order to improve access to musculoskeletal care for Canadians and to mitigate the burden of MSK conditions on family physicians and nurse practitioners, it is essential to reduce barriers to accessing care.  This can be achieved by integrating MSK care as a funded service (embedding MSK care providers such as chiropractors and physiotherapists) within comprehensive primary care.  There are existing models in Canada that have achieved this and which can be built upon and emulated with support from health policy makers.

Our e-learning modules will deliver a comprehensive education program to primary care providers and interprofessional primary care teams interested in learning more about collaborative practice, competencies for team-based care and models integration of musculoskeletal (MSK) care on primary care teams.

About Our Modules

Framed within the principles of interprofessional
education (IPE), where learners learn ‘with, from and about each
other’, our course uses existing related IPE protocols and learning modules. The training goals for this course include:

  • enhancing knowledge about the need and evidence for
    interprofessional collaborative practice (IPC) in primary care
  • promoting the concept of collaborative leadership to facilitate high
    value quintuple MSK care
  • to enhance awareness of collaborative care competencies using the
    Interprofessional Collaboration Competency Framework developed
    and validated at St. Michael’s Hospital for post-licensure practitioners
  • improving understanding about the evidence for integration of
    musculoskeletal care in primary care through use of existing
    educational tools and sharing of existing, successful models of
    integrated, people-centred care
  • strengthening knowledge about the scope of practice, evidence, and safety of chiropractic treatment for musculoskeletal conditions.

Our e-learning modules will deliver a comprehensive education program to interprofessional primary care teams interested in learning more about collaborative practice, competencies for team-based care and integration of musculoskeletal (MSK) care on primary care teams.

Course Background:

  • Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are the leading cause of disability in Canada and a significant burden to people, health systems and economies [Liu et al, 2022]. 
  • In most Canadian provinces, public investment and funding for MSK care is non-existent or minimal, posing a significant barrier to access care. 
  • The Canadian Medical Association (2022) predicts major shortfall of more then 23,000 family physicians (FPs) by 2025, an important consideration given that about 40% of primary care outpatient visits are for MSK conditions (Wu et al 2022).

Course Objectives:

  • Describe current best evidence in the management of priority musculoskeletal conditions
  • Apply chiropractic competencies to primary care teams for MSK care
  • Improve interprofessional communication to identify the roles and responsibilities of primary care professionals and facilitate enhanced continuity of MSK care
  • Promote interprofessional collaboration through enhanced knowledge of roles and responsibilities and awareness of effective communication strategies for collaborative MSK care

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