Patient perceptions in New Mexico about doctors of chiropractic functioning as primary care providers with limited prescriptive authority

The purpose of this study was to determine chiropractic patients' perceptions of chiropractors serving as primary care providers and having a limited prescriptive authority. Four doctors of chiropractic in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, NM, participated in surveying their patients during the summer of 2008. The chiropractors distributed the questionnaires consecutively to chiropractic patients. Patients answered questions regarding their perceptions of their chiropractors, use of chiropractic care, and medications for pain. The participating chiropractors collected the completed patient questionnaires and mailed them to the primary investigator. The chiropractic providers collected 275 chiropractic patient questionnaires. The number of patient questionnaires collected by each of the 4 participating chiropractors ranged from 35 to 100. The patients primarily sought care for the management and treatment of pain (98.5%), and 57.5% considered that their chiropractors were “primary care providers.” Eighty-five percent preferred that their chiropractor be qualified to prescribe medications and provide hands-on treatment, whereas 97.5% perceived their chiropractors to be chiropractic physicians. This small group of chiropractic patients from 4 offices in New Mexico perceived that their doctors of chiropractic were physicians and primary care providers, and 85% preferred that their chiropractor treat patients with limited prescriptive authority when appropriately trained.