A comparative analysis of animal chiropractic regulation within seven countries CHRISTINE DU PLESSIS 2016 i Title of research as approved by Faculty By Christine du Plessis Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master’s Degree in Technology: Chiropractic Durban University of Technology I, Christine du Plessis, do declare that this dissertation is representative of my own work in both conception and execution (except where acknowledgements indicate to the contrary) ___________________ _________________ Student: C. du Plessis Date ii Approved for Final Submission ___________________________________ __________________ Supervisor: Dr Grant Matkovich Date (MTech:Chiropractic) __________________________________ ___________________ Co-Supervisor: Dr Louis Mullinder Date (BProc; MTech:Homoeopathy) iii DEDICATION To Jesus Christ, my Lord and Saviour, who made it possible for me to complete this degree against the odds. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” May I always work in such a way as to bring glory and honour to Your Name. To my family and friends who have supported ‘the student’ with so much love and encouragement, each in their own way, big or small, throughout my years of study. My mother, Daleen du Plessis, and my siblings, Maryke, Lelani, Martin, Tanja en Leon: Thank you for your endless love, support, and understanding and for believing in me the way that you do. Kriek and Riekie, Karl-Heinz and Lindle, Anica, Martin, Liesel, and Leigh: I could not have been blessed with more precious friends! I could not have done it without you! To my family members who passed away during my years of study: My father, Thinus du Plessis, my grandfather, Piet Niemand, my grandmother, Chrissie du Plessis, my uncle, Hennie du Plessis, and my brother-in-law, Cronje Erasmus. It was tough losing you while studying; I still miss all of you every day and wish you could share this completion with me. ...‘Till we meet again! iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A big thank you to Dr Grant Matkovich for his support, advice, patience and reining me in when I was complicating matters, and spurring me on when I needed it. I definitely got the bestest supervisor! Thank you also to my co-supervisor, Dr Louis Mullinder. Your contribution was invaluable. Thank you to my proof reader, Dr Richard Steele. Thank you to my statistician, Mr Deepak Singh. To my classmates: it has been an honour to study with a group of dedicated hardworking students such as yourselves. I am looking forward to years of sharing and working together as colleagues. Dr Charmaine Korporaal, thank you for always being available and willing to help with whatever I needed. You are extraordinary and I have the highest respect for you. v ABSTRACT Introduction: Chiropractic treatment of animals is a young and dynamic field of interest among chiropractors, veterinarians and animal owners. As a young profession, regulation of animal chiropractic is limited to only a few countries, with regulatory models in various legal paradigms. Bosman (2012) determined through a qualitative investigation that in order for the profession to grow, it would require well defined guidelines, proper governance, appropriate legislation and set educational standards. Presently there is a paucity in the literature regarding animal chiropractic regulation. Through a comparative study of current international animal chiropractic regulatory models, possible international trends in animal chiropractic regulation can be identified. This could assist in identifying any possible short comings or positive developments and possible future areas of progress in the regulation of animal chiropractic. Aim: To determine the regulatory status of animal chiropractic in selected countries, at statutory and professional association level, in order to ascertain whether an international trend in animal chiropractic regulation exists. Method: The study was a comparative analysis. The sample consisted of ten jurisdictions spread over seven countries. These were Australia (Victoria and Queensland), Canada (Ontario and Alberta), Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States of America (Texas and California). The validated data collection sheet (Appendix B) was used to extract quantitative data through the various organisations’ web pages and communication with the relevant organisations. Results: The regulation of the practice of animal chiropractic was found to be in various stages of regulation, with it being unregulated or largely unregulated in three out of the ten jurisdictions included in this study. In seven out of the ten jurisdictions the regulation of the practice of animal chiropractic fell under government devolved authority to the veterinary statutory regulatory body, although regulation was not very vi extensive in most of these jurisdictions. Four of the jurisdictions with regulation of the practice of animal chiropractic through government devolved authority had national animal chiropractic professional associations and two of the jurisdictions in which the practice of animal chiropractic was unregulated had a national professional association. None of these professional associations held government sanctioned authority. Statutory regulation played a more significant role in regulation of the practice of animal chiropractic in terms of the existence of codes of ethics, complaints and disciplinary procedures and CPD requirements than the national animal chiropractic professional associations did. Significance was also found in the legal requirement of registration as veterinarian or chiropractor in jurisdictions where veterinary referral was a legal requirement for chiropractic practitioners of animal chiropractic and where post-graduate animal chiropractic qualifications were only recognised by the veterinary statutory regulatory bodies if it was a legal requirement for registered veterinarians and chiropractors. No professional statutory regulatory body regulated or required regulation by educational statutory regulatory bodies or international accreditation of animal chiropractic education. The significance of national animal chiropractic professional associations was limited to their codes of ethics as it correlated with their limitation of membership by the professional association to mostly registered veterinary and chiropractic practitioners holding a post-graduate animal chiropractic qualification. Several trends were identified that could either hinder or promote the development of appropriate regulation for the practice of animal chiropractic. Conclusion: From the comparison of the current animal chiropractic regulation it was found that cooperation between veterinary and chiropractic statutory regulatory bodies appears to be important for the development of suitable and effective regulation of the practice of animal chiropractic. The study suggests that there is a need for standardisation and regulation of animal chiropractic education and the definition of the animal chiropractic scope of practice. This study also suggests continuation of cooperation between chiropractors and veterinarians that has been sought since the inception of the animal chiropractic profession. Involvement of functioning national animal chiropractic professional associations with the development of appropriate regulation, defining of animal chiropractic scopes of practice and promotion of the vii unity, integrity and identity of the animal chiropractic profession is recommended to achieve growth for animal chiropractic as a profession. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................... v ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................ vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................. ix LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................... xix LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................... xxi LIST OF APPENDICES .......................................................................................... xxiii GLOSSARY ........................................................................................................... xxiv ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................. xxvii CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background and context of the study ............................................................. 1 1.2 Research question ......................................................................................... 2 1.3 Research aim ................................................................................................. 2 1.4 Research objectives....................................................................................... 2 1.5 Rationale of this study .................................................................................... 3 1.6 Significance of the study ................................................................................ 3 1.7 Outline of chapters ......................................................................................... 4 CHAPTER 2 : LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................................