An In-Depth Look Of The Clinical Process Of A Chiropractic Clinic

Introduction

When it comes to finding a beneficial healthcare plan to better oneself, many individuals seem to find it challenging. Different forms of media, from television, advertisements, reviews, and commercials, promote the “best choices for your health.” However, it shouldn’t be difficult when many people are referred to the right healthcare professional that understands what is happening to their bodies. Today’s article examines how general pain is managed through chiropractic care and how A.A.P.I.E.R’s clinical process is implemented in a chiropractic office. We refer patients to certified providers specializing in treatments to aid individuals suffering from various chronic issues. We also guide our patients by referring them to our associated medical providers based on their examination when it’s appropriate. We find that education is the solution to asking our providers insightful questions. Dr. Alex Jimenez DC provides this information as an educational service only. Disclaimer

How Pain Is Managed Through Chiropractic Care

Have you been feeling pain in your body, like your neck, back, hips, or shoulders? Do you feel inflammatory effects affecting your joints or muscles? Or what about nerve pain affecting your motor skills to do simple tasks? Many of these symptoms are associated with pain in the musculoskeletal system, and one of the non-invasive treatments that can help is chiropractic care. Studies reveal that pain in the body is one of the most common complaints worldwide, and chiropractic care can help manage the symptoms associated with pain while being cost-efficient. Chiropractic care can help the individual in distress by performing a detailed exam of the affected muscles and joints. Other studies reveal that the chiropractic approach to pain in the musculoskeletal system allows restoration and health protection between the spine and body functionality. In this relationship, chiropractic care may alleviate disorders in the body structure so that a person’s general health can be restored. Chiropractors also can combine different treatment plans catered to each individual’s needs. 

What Do We Offer?-Video

Have you been dealing with pain in random areas of your body? Do you wake up feeling stiff when you stretch? Or do issues of inflammation or joint pain seem to affect your daily activities? If you have been experiencing these issues in your body, why not incorporate chiropractic care as part of your health and wellness journey? The video above explains what Dr. Alex Jimenez DC and his team offer in their office: chiropractic care, functional wellness, and nutrition that caters to many individuals. Studies reveal that chiropractic care is utilized clinically to help patients who suffer from musculoskeletal pain (chronic and acute) through spinal manipulation. Chiropractic care can help realign spinal subluxation (misalignment) to repair and heal any dysfunction in the body. Chiropractic care also helps loosen the stiff muscles surrounding the joints, improve the range of motion and even improve chronic disorders associated with environmental issues affecting the body. Chiropractors work with associated providers to develop the best treatment possible for the patient.

The Clinical Process In A Chiropractic Clinic

The clinical process in a chiropractic clinic is when a chiropractor goes through a process known as A.A.P.I.E.R. This acronym is a systemic method used to provide care for the patient. A.A.P.I.E.R stands for:

• Assessment- recognized cues
• Analysis- analyze signals and prioritize hypotheses
• Planning- generate a plan or solution
• Implementation- executing the plan or taking action
• Evaluation- evaluate the outcomes
• Repeat- Repeat the process again

This acronym allows chiropractors and doctors to assess their patients and create a sense of routine that many people can use in everyday life. For example, a person wants to live healthier due to a chronic issue affecting their body. First doctor or chiropractor must assess the situation, then analyze what is going on with the patient, then come up with a plan to alleviate the problem, then execute or implement their strategy for the patient, evaluate their plan, and finally repeat the process.

Assessment/Data Collection

Assessment or data collection helps address the process of gathering subjective and objective data relative to the patient, thus confirming, communicating, and documenting the information being obtained. To that point, assessment/data collecting is related to the cognitive skill doctors use, known as recognizing cues. Doctors can apply this mental skill to acknowledge the data that is being collected from the patient. As the first step of the clinical process, doctors look for an option to address the assessment/data collection. If that option is presented in the patient’s data, then doctors will select the option. However, if the assessment action is not noted as one of the options, then doctors should prioritize the following steps in the clinical problem-solving process as the first action.

Analysis

Now the analysis is the most difficult because doctors are required to understand the principles of physiological responses and interpret the assessment data provided by the patient. When doctors analyze the data, they must think critically and determine the rationale for therapeutic intervention that could potentially be addressed. The analysis uses the cognitive skill of analyzing cues that need doctors to collect data from the patient’s presentation while determining if the data is expected or unexpected. The analysis also uses the cognitive skill prioritizing hypothesis that determines the patient’s needs or problems, thus prioritizing them. To that point, prioritizing the hypothesis requires doctors to analyze and rank the patient’s needs or problems as a priority.

Planning

When planning in the A.A.P.I.E.R. clinical process, the best possible treatment for the patient requires using hypotheses that determine the goals and outcomes of how these goals are designed. It is essential that doctors must address the planning step of the clinical process by keeping two crucial points in mind. First is to remember that this is an examination for the patient and to answer the patient’s questions most likely related to the clinical plan unless it anticipates the providers that will be prescribed to the patient. The second point is to remember that the questions are connected to the patient’s list of problems or issues, thus generating solutions and care plans.

Implementation

Implementation in the A.A.P.I.E.R. acronym addresses the process of organizing and managing care for the patient. Implementation incorporates counseling, teaching, providing care to achieve established goals, and other interventions that doctors use for optimal care for the patient. The implementation uses the cognitive skill, taking action that allows the doctor to implement and generate solutions that address the highest priorities for the patient. To that point, doctors need to be concerned about the patient in question that the patient is their only assigned patient while answering all the patient’s questions as if there is available time to care for the patient, thus providing the needed resources for them.

Evaluation

The evaluation compares the actual and expected outcomes of the patient’s care. Evaluation allows the doctor or chiropractor to monitor or make a judgment call on the patient’s response to the therapy. Evaluation utilizes the cognitive skill to evaluate the patient’s outcome by addressing the patient’s ability to self-care, the health care provider’s ability to implement care and the communication process, and documenting evaluation findings, including the negative results.

Repeat

The final step for A.A.P.I.E.R. is repeating the steps by returning to the first step, assessment. Repeating steps every time a chiropractor or doctor sees their patients can provide a better understanding of their ailments and needs and come up with solutions that cater to the patient. These steps over time can be implemented for many individuals through practice and can provide better solutions for everyday life and wellness.

Conclusion

Incorporating A.A.P.I.E.R. clinical process in any treatment can allow doctors to think of a solution for their patients. Many professional healthcare providers can implicate this process in their practice. They can help their patients utilize this systemic thinking process in their daily lives for a healthier lifestyle. When it comes to this protocol, many chiropractors or doctors can come up with the best-advanced treatments to offer to individuals dealing with chronic issues associated with pain in the musculoskeletal system using this acronym.

References

Blanchette, Marc-André, et al. “Effectiveness and Economic Evaluation of Chiropractic Care for the Treatment of Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review of Pragmatic Studies.” PloS One, Public Library of Science, 3 Aug. 2016, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4972425/.

Navid, Muhammad Samran, et al. “The Effects of Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation on Central Processing of Tonic Pain – a Pilot Study Using Standardized Low-Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography (Sloreta).” Scientific Reports, Nature Publishing Group UK, 6 May 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6502880/.

Salehi, Alireza, et al. “Chiropractic: Is It Efficient in Treatment of Diseases? Review of Systematic Reviews.” International Journal of Community Based Nursing and Midwifery, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Oct. 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4591574/.

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