[KEYNOTE] Spine Care: Where are we and where are we going? | Speaker: Scott Haldeman DC, MD

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• Health care in general and especially the care of spinal disorders is undergoing tremendous changes. This is being hastened in 2020 during a pandemic that is requiring a high degree of physical separation and mandated precautions.
• The burden of back and neck pain is increasing worldwide and the cost of treatment in the United States, at $130 billion a year, is higher than the cost of any other health problem.
• The current model of care, despite the tremendous cost, has not been shown to be effective in controlling spine related disability. This is forcing government and insurance companies as well as all spine care clinicians to look at alternative approaches to impact this increasing important health care problem. This is increasing the importance of models of care based on evidence-based guidelines.
• The Global Spine Care Initiative convened a large interprofessional team of clinicians and scientists that published a Model of Care based on current guidelines and which focusses on triage of serious spine pathology and non-pharmacologic, non-invasive interventions to improve spine related disability.
• The requirement for physical distancing to combat COVID-19 has led to the development of Clinician and Patient Guides to assist chiropractors and other spine care clinicians to continue helping patients during this period and could likely be incorporated as part of spine care in the future.
• These models of care require that there be an identifiable clinician with the training and skills to act as the primary clinician for any patient presenting with spine related complaints. Chiropractors are in a unique position to assume this role and hopefully will become leaders in the care of the 1 billion people worldwide whose lives are impacted by spine related symptoms.

Learning Objectives

It is anticipated that attendees will better understand the health burden of spinal disorders.

Attendees should be more aware of the major changes in evidence-based spine care models that are being initiated and how they might impact clinical practice.

They should have better understanding of the role of chiropractors wishing to practice in interdisciplinary settings or communicate with other clinicians in the management of patients with spinal disorders.

The importance and role of the primary spine care clinician that is available to those chiropractors who wish to become the first contact and coordinating clinician for all patients who with a spine related disorder will be described.

Attendees should also be aware of evidence-based Guides for managing patients with spinal disorders in situations where physical distancing is necessary.