Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT05046249

Swiss Chiropractic Cohort (Swiss ChiCo) Study: A Nationwide Practice-Based Research Network Project

The Swiss chiropractic cohort (Swiss ChiCo) practice-based research network (PBRN) is nationwide research project with the aim to develop a musculoskeletal focused PBRN within the Swiss chiropractic setting and describe the characteristics of clinicians recruited. Development of the PBRN has been guided through participatory engagement of multiple stakeholders including patients, clinicians, scientists, and policymakers.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Musculoskeletal Pain Muscular Diseases Musculoskeletal Diseases Neurologic Manifestations Pain Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Balgrist University Hospital

Zurich, 8008, Switzerland

About this study

Management of musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions is moving away from traditional medical treatments such as pain medication and towards more physical and preventative approaches. As a result, there is a need to describe manual care approaches to make informed decisions on how best to use this capacity in the current health care system. While this literature is emerging, very little is collected from clinical settings where the large majority of MSK care occurs. The lack of clinically collected data creates gaps in patient-centred research and difficulties with knowledge implementation in treatment settings.

To help bridge this divide, countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Sweden, and Australia have established MSK-focused practice-based research networks (PBRNs). PBRNs are sustained collaborations between practitioners and academicians. This collaboration allows patient recruitment from diverse clinical settings and allows practitioners to be more actively involved in the research process. As a result data collected, and subsequent recommendations may have greater clinical utility than that which comes from more traditional research-only settings.

This study aims to develop a MSK focused PBRN within the Swiss chiropractic setting and describe the characteristics of clinicians recruited. It represents a collaborative effort of international researchers, Swiss chiropractic clinicians, and the chiropractic patient and clinical associations in Switzerland (Pro Chiropractic Switzerland and ChiroSuisse). Clinicians will endorse participation in the PBRN by completing an electronic study form. Once established, nested sub-studies will be conducted within this new clinical research environment. Through stakeholder engagement and institutional support, the Swiss ChiCo PBRN can serve as an important resource to advance chiropractic and MSK health services research.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Active clinician members of the Swiss Chiropractic Association (ChiroSuisse)

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

  1. Self-confidence in clinical management of patients with low back pain

    Time frame: Baseline

    Assessment via practitioner self-confidence scale (PCS, 4-20). The PCS contains four items with a total score of 20 where 4 represents greatest self-confidence and 20 represents the lowest self-confidence towards clinical management of patients with low back pain.

  2. Biomedical versus biopsychosocial treatment orientation

    Time frame: Baseline

    Assessment via pain attitudes and beliefs scale musculoskeletal version (PABS-MSK). The PABS-MSK contains two domains, a higher score on the biomedical domain (PABS-MSK-BM, score range 10-60) represents a higher biomedical orientation. A higher score on the biopsychosocial domain (PABS-MSK-BPS, score range 10-60) represents a higher biopsychosocial orientation.

  3. Participation proportion (feasibility outcome)

    Time frame: Baseline

    Proportion of eligible clinicians who participate

  4. Motivation for clinician participation in a PBRN sub-study (feasibility outcome)

    Time frame: Baseline

    Assessment via visual analog scale (VAS, 0-100). A higher score reflects higher motivation for clinician participation in a PBRN sub-study.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Balgrist University Hospital

Other

Collaborators

  • Swiss Chiropractic Association (ChiroSuisse)
  • Swiss Chiropractic Patient Association (Pro Chiropractic Switzerland)
  • University of Southern Denmark
  • University of Zurich

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2021
Primary completion
2021
Study completion
2021
First posted
Sep 16, 2021
Registry last updated
Apr 26, 2023

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.