Chiropractors holding the belief that research and evidence-based medicine (EBM) are important skills, who have learned to define and pose clinically relevant questions and locate and critically interpret scientific literature, will be best prepared to use evidence to improve their clinical practice. However, most of the faculty at Palmer College of Chiropractic (PCC) are not trained in research and EBM and the curriculum does not effectively integrate and reinforce the concepts throughout the Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) program. Most faculty do not engage in research and are therefore ill-prepared to teach the value of research. We propose to meet the goals of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Program """"""""CAM Practitioner Research Education Project Grant Partnership"""""""" to formally increase the research content in CAM institutions. We are partnering with two highly regarded conventional institutions, the University of Iowa and Thomas Jefferson University, to develop and implement 4 specific aims. We will significantly expand the expertise at the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research to the rest of the Palmer program.
The first aim i s to enhance faculty attitudes and increase faculty knowledge and skills regarding EBM principles and education. We will develop and implement an EBM training program.
The second aim i s to enhance students'attitudes and increase students'knowledge and sills regarding EBM principles. We will incorporate EBM principles training into the curriculum for the DC program.
The third aim i s to train and support faculty and students to conduct clinical research by building on our existing K30-supported Clinical Research program and expanding other programs. Finally, for the fourth aim we will evaluate changes in faculty and student attitudes, knowledge and skills concerning EBM principles and assess changes in Palmer's training and support for student and faculty involvement in clinical research. The long-range goal is to institutionalize the attitudes, knowledge and skills of research and EBM at PCC, and to model the process for other CAM professions.
