Following the pandemic, the world has experienced many challenges never seen before. This month The American Chiropractor CTAC) sat down with Dr. Richard Brown (RB), Secretary-General of the World Federation of Chiropractic, to better understand what they learned from the pandemic, what new projects they have on the horizon, as well as any current developments in different regions of the world. Read on to learn more.
TAC: What is new around the world in chiropractic?
RB: It’s an exciting time for the profession at the moment. Having emerged from COVID-19 and 26 months of the trauma that all of us have had to ensure, chiropractors are coming back determined and focused on delivering even better care for their patients. As a profession, this has been a time to sit, reflect, and think about where we’re going and what we’re doing. We are not seeing a new normal, but a new better. Whether it’s education, research, or clinical practice, the profession is fitter, stronger, and even more focused on delivering excellence to patients and populations.
TAC: What is new with the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC)?
RB: As an organization, we have had an exciting time. We just elected a new board and executive. Dr. John Maltby is our new president. He is a very experienced chiropractor with 45 years in practice and is past president of the International Chiropractic Association. He has served on the WFC board since 2015. We also have Dr. Kendrah da Silva from South Africa as our vice president and Dr. Ryan Coster from Canada as our secretary-treasurer. Our past president, Dr. Carlos Ayres, from Peru, and I also sit on the Executive Committee. Our members are from over 90 national associations of chiropractors, spread across 7 world regions... Our strategy at the WFC focuses on support, empowerment, promotion, and advancement of chiropractic and we continue to be excited about our #BeEPIC campaign - urging every chiropractor to be evidence-based, people-centered, interprofessional, and collaborative. And of course, nothing we do takes place without a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. It’s a fundamental part of what we do.
We have just repopulated our public health committee which reflects our commitment to diversity. Of our eight members drawn from throughout the world, five are women, and of our three male members, one is a First Nations Indigenous chiropractor... The committee brings valuable expertise to the WFC’s work and supports the global profession in advocating for chiropractic’s engagement in public health initiatives.
Linked to our commitment to public health, the WFC is coordinating World Spine Day. This is our 16th annual World Spine Day, which takes place on October 16th each year. This year, the theme is Every Spine Counts, reflecting the importance of good spinal health across the life course, in every nation around the globe. Our position is that every chiropractor has a duty to get involved in World Spine Day - after all if chiropractors can’t promote good spinal health, who can?
We are developing a Global Observatory for Chiropractic, which we envisage as being a repository of data setting out the status of chiropractic around the world. Later this year, we will be undertaking a major census of the global profession and will be gathering data on a range of areas, looking at the demographics, legal status, and practice characteristics of the profession. This is a major undertaking and we will be working with stakeholders from around the world to collect data, which we will publish and feed into the WHO’s Global Health Workforce department. This will, in turn highlight the contribution that chiropractic can make to the health of populations around the world.
With fourteen other world organizations, the WFC is a founding member of the Global Rehabilitation Alliance. WHO has recently announced that they would like to absorb this organization into a formal WHO World Rehabilitation Alliance and has invited the WFC to be part of this. There is an increasing focus on rehabilitation and the WFC is committed to promoting chiropractic’s engagement in responding to the vast unmet needs of society when it comes to disability prevention and rehabilitation.
TAC: Can you tell us more about the WHO Benchmarking process?
RB: This year celebrates the WFC’s 25th anniversary as a non-state actor in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO), and we have never been more involved and engaged with them as we are now. The most significant project we’re working on is to update 2005 WHO Guidelines on Basic Training and Safety in Chiropractic to a brand new WHO Benchmark document on Training in Chiropractic. Education is foundational to the credibility of the chiropractic profession internationally and the realization of our vision, which is a world where everyone enjoys universal access to chiropractic so that populations can thrive and reach their full potential.
In 2005, the WHO published its Guidelines on Basic Training and Safety in Chiropractic. That was the first WHO document ever published in relation to chiropractic. It involved 160 reviewers from 54 countries and was funded by the government of Lombardy in Italy. We have been having conversations with the WHO for the last few years in relation to updating the guidelines, but the hurdle has always been funding. With generous support from key stakeholders, we have been able to raise funds to confirm our ability to underwrite the donation required to sponsor the project.
This new Benchmarks document will be a WHO publication and will involve reviewers from around the world. It will set quality standards for education and training and involve input from experts from both inside and outside the profession. The focus will be on ensuring that chiropractors, wherever they are practicing in the world, are qualified to deliver safe and competent care. There are new chiropractic programs emerging all the time and it’s never been more important to work collaboratively with WHO to ensure that the profession is equipped to deliver high-quality graduates to meet the needs of society. There have been many advances in the evidence underpinning what we do as chiropractors since the original guidelines were published in 2005. They are now outdated and the new WHO Benchmark on Training in Chiropractic will involve a comprehensive review of the best evidence and set out minimum standards required to meet the expectations of the public and others in the healthcare community. A part of this is the shift toward competency-based education, away from a focus on hours to ensure competencies are met. This will raise standards and ensure that chiropractic is seen as a respected, evidence-based, and valuable contributor to global healthcare. We also think that the publication of the benchmarks will support the development of legislation in those countries that currently do not have laws relating to chiropractic. Importantly, it will also ensure that chiropractic is clearly defined as a profession, not simply a technique.
Dr. Brown’s Bio
Richard Brown is the Secretary-General of the World Federation of Chiropractic. He is a 1990 graduate of AECC University College. He worked in continuous private practice for 25 years in the United Kingdom, where he ran a multi-disciplinary practice in the west of England. With an interest in sports chiropractic, Richard worked principally in professional soccer and motor racing and was part of the official medical services team at the London 2012 Olympic Games. He served as president of the British Chiropractic Association (2009-2013) and on the Executive Committee of the European Chiropractors' Union, latterly as its first Secretary-General. Richard is a former member of faculty at the University of South Wales and founded the Chiropractic Research Council in the UK, a charity dedicated to expanding research capacity. With a Master of Laws degree from Cardiff University and expertise in chiropractic professional standards, Dr. Brown is a highly experienced medicolegal consultant, working in the areas of chiropractic fitness to practice regulation and clinical negligence. He is the recipient of Chiropractor of the Year awards from the British Chiropractic Association (2008) and American Chiropractic Association (2020) and has received fellowships from the Royal College of Chiropractors, European Academy of Chiropractic, International College of Chiropractors, AECC University College, and British Chiropractic Association. He is the vice-president of World Spine Care (U.S.) and is a member of Eurospine, the spine society of Europe.
TAC: Can you tell us a bit about International Chiropractic Education Alliance (ICEA)?
RB: The WFC currently has a public health committee, research committee, and disability and rehabilitation committee. We felt that there was a clear gap in relation to education and for that reason, we are launching the International Chiropractic Education Alliance (ICEA). We will be looking to launch this officially later this year and will be inviting both educational institutions and all other chiropractic educational stakeholders to be part of the initiative. The ICEA will serve as a global forum for discussion of all matters related to the education and training of chiropractors. It will bring the chiropractic educational community together and draw on the expertise of existing organizations to share their wisdom and experience in order to create a consistent and robust educational community to advance the profession. What we’re not looking to do is change the identity of individual chiropractic institutions but we want to ensure that the public is clear about the profession and what they can reasonably expect from chiropractors regardless of where they are in the world. The ICEA will bring people together to share advances, innovations, knowledge, and evidence emerging from educational research and practice. The ICEA will also help those institutions that are emerging to learn from those that are established. We feel that the WFC is perfectly placed to create an umbrella global alliance and help develop the profession worldwide. We strongly believe that a strong education is foundational to advancing chiropractic throughout the world and developing a respected, integrated global health workforce.
TAC: Are there any events our readers may be able to attend in the coming months?
RB: Our major showpiece events are our Biennial Congresses and our Education Conferences. Later this year, November 2-5, 2022, we’ll be hosting the WFC ACC Global Education Conference at Logan University. The theme is Leveling Up, Creating Consistency in Chiropractic Education. We’re excited to be discussing all things related to chiropractic education and all are welcome to attend. We particularly welcome institutional leaders, faculty, students, student organizations, and educational researchers. One of the things we’ve strongly encouraged in the past few years is that national associations send their leaderships to the Education Conference to give them a firm understanding of what is happening in chiropractic education. By attending, national associations can get a sense of what the profession might look like in 10 years or 20 years with advances in education and student demographics.Understanding developments in education helps to identify trends and provides an opportunity to get ahead of the curve.
In 2023 our Biennial Congress will take place, October 11-14 in association with the Australian chiropractors Association in Gold Coast, Australia. The theme of that event is Let’s Start With the Patient, which will focus on people and patient-centered care. It doesn’t matter what type of chiropractor you are, what technique you use, or where you practice in the world, Let’s Start With the
Patient will be an unmissable event you can’t miss. As usual with WFC Congress we will feature brilliant keynote speakers, outstanding plenary presentations, inspiring panel discussions, knowledge-packed workshops, research presentations, and of course, we will have a packed program of social events.
TAC: What are some of the upcoming plans for the World Federation of Chiropractic? RB: An organization’s stability means that regardless of the leadership, we have a clear direction of travel. Over the last few years, articulated in our vision, mission, and 20 WFC Principles, we’ve developed very clear statements of what we stand for, so regardless of individuals in office, we are consistent in our direction of travel. Our vision for the WFC is a world where everyone enjoys universal access to chiropractic so that populations can thrive and reach their full potential. It articulates what we’re here to do. Our mission builds on advancing awareness, utilization, and integration of chiropractic internationally. We want more people to be aware of and use chiropractic. For chiropractic to become integrated into people’s healthcare teams and systems. Not subsumed by other professions but to stand as an independent profession that can work with other providers in the best interests of patients and the communities we serve. This is where our #BeEPIC campaign comes in being evidence-based, people-centered, interprofessional, and collaborative.
...“Our vision for the WFC is a world where everyone enjoys universal access to chiropractic so that populations can thrive and reach their full potential.
It articulates what we’re here to do. Our mission builds on advancing awareness, utilization, and integration of chiropractic internationally. ”...
We have an intense program of work. As the global voice of the profession, we want to ensure that our work is relevant to all chiropractors, in every country. Whether it’s working with WHO, developing the profession in underserved areas, or promoting education and research, we are committed to ensuring a healthy future for chiropractic.
One example of our upcoming plans is to focus on the huge need for chiropractors in Africa. Outside South Africa, where chiropractic is established, there are fewer than 100 chiropractors serving a continent of 1.4bn people. In Africa, spinal pain and disability can mean an inability to work, a loss of livelihood, and profound hardship. Our President, Dr. John Maltby, is spearheading a project to deliver greater access to chiropractic services through partnerships with training institutions.
TAC: Where can our readers expect to see you?
RB: As international borders are opening up, I will be back on the road! In July, I will be attending the ACCRAC meeting in San Diego. In September, I will be traveling to Denmark, will be speaking at the Chiropractic Association of South Africa conference in Cape Town, South Africa, and will be presenting at the International Sports Medicine Federation conference in Guadalajara, Mexico. In October I will be attending the centenary celebrations of Cleveland University and will also be at the Canadian Chiropractic Association trade show and conference in Montreal. And of course, in November, I’ll be in Missouri for the Education Conference at Logan University.
To learn more yon can visit wfc.org.
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