Patient satisfaction with clinical services provided by chiropractic students under supervision compared to licensed chiropractors: An observational study

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated patient satisfaction with care provided by chiropractic students under supervision vs supervisors in a Danish hospital setting.

METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study of patient satisfaction was conducted at the Spine Center of Southern Denmark, where chiropractic students from the University of Southern Denmark complete an 8-week internship in their final year of pregraduate training. Patients were assigned to students or supervisors based on administrative convenience (ie, natural allocation). Blinded from the aim of the study, all patients seen by a chiropractor (with or without a student) were invited to answer a questionnaire rating satisfaction with the clinical encounter. Results were analyzed using ordinal logistic regression with group allocation blinded by the investigators.

RESULTS: Results from 438 participants (response rate = 88%) showed no significant difference in patient satisfaction between the student and supervisor groups. Although a small difference favored the supervisor group, the student group had a higher proportion of high and very high satisfaction combined.

CONCLUSION: Satisfaction differed minimally whether patient care was administered by students under the supervision of a licensed chiropractor or by licensed chiropractors alone. Our findings suggest that patients do not negatively view student involvement in clinical consultations at a Danish hospital.