Practice characteristics of chiropractors in The Netherlands

The last published survey of practice characteristics in The Netherlands was undertaken over 10 years ago. Since then, there has been a near threefold increase in the number of registered chiropractors in The Netherlands. A postal survey of all 161 SCN-registered chiropractors in The Netherlands was undertaken to re-evaluate and update the knowledge-base regarding chiropractic practice in this part of Europe. A response rate of 70% was attained. Of the responding chiropractors, 68% were male, the mean age was 38 (S.D.: 9.3) years and 57% were of Dutch nationality. Sixty-one percent graduated from European colleges and one-third had a previous degree. Most (76%) chiropractors were self-employed. A mean of 34 h per week were spent on patient care and 4 h on paperwork. Only 19% had access to their own X-ray facilities. Ten percent shared facilities with other non-chiropractic professionals. New patients had to wait 18 days for a first visit, which lasted a mean of 41 min. Subsequent visits were of 15 min duration. The mean charge for a first visit was 50 Euros, while for a routine visit the fee was 40 Euros. Patients mostly sought chiropractic care on their own initiative. Forty-eight percent of the patients had already had X-rays taken by other health-care professionals. Many of the characteristics of practice in The Netherlands today resemble those of other countries and appear not to have changed substantially over the past 8-10 years. Nevertheless, there would seem to be a marked difference in relation to waiting times for new patients between The Netherlands and other European countries. There also appears to have been a notable change in availability of on-site X-ray facilities in Dutch chiropractic practices.