Do you have neck or back pain? If so, you may be compensated up to $200 to participate in a national study conducted by the RAND Corporation.
How to Participate
Thomas C. Schmidt D.C., founder of Schmidt Chiropractic Clinic of Woodbury, Minnesota, has been chosen as one of a select small number of chiropractors in the nation to help the National Institutes of Health and the RAND Corporation conduct a nationwide research project to study clinical effectiveness of and patient experiences with chiropractic care. Patients of other chiropractors are not eligible, only those who have neck and back pain and are receiving chiropractic care from Dr. Schmidt.
Study Overview
“Choosing Chiropractic for Chronic Pain” is a data collection effort funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health at the National Institutes of Health.
This study examines the impact of evidence, outcomes, costs and patient preferences on the choice of treatment for chronic low back pain and prolonged neck pain. Currently, the research team is conducting a national study with approximately 1,600 chiropractic patients from clinics in the following six metropolitan areas: Dallas, Texas; San Diego, California; Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota; White Plains/Yonkers, New York; Tampa, Florida; and Portland, Oregon.
Data Collection
The following types of data will be collected:
- Chiropractors – Years of experience, postgraduate training, practice details such as kinds of patients, types of techniques and clinical services including laser therapy, general demographics of patients, insurance, communication and processing skills, etc.
- Patients – Experiences with chiropractic care and other types of treatment prior to chiropractic such as medications, surgeries and physical therapy. History of low back or neck pain, duration of pain, frequency of pain, intensity of pain and how pain impacts their daily life. General patient characteristics such as age, gender, onset of pain, causation of pain, etc.
RAND to Administer Chronic Pain Study
RAND, a nonprofit research institution in Santa Monica, Calif., along with the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and the Samueli Institute, based in Alexandria, Virginia, is conducting this study. The study aims to:
- Understand better ways to assess appropriateness within complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), such as chiropractic care.
- Determine how the inclusion of patient outcomes and preferences as well as cost impact more traditional measures of appropriateness.
- Learn about patient preferences and experiences related to treating back and neck pain.
The goals of this study are to determine the appropriateness of chiropractic care for neck and back pain at a national level, explore users’ perceptions of outcomes, and to determine what factors influence decisions to use chiropractic care.
To find out if you qualify for this study, please call Schmidt Chiropractic Clinic at (651) 735-2400.