Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

Yes, anonnymouse, I do indeed see the point you are making, and I can see the difference you have outlined. Ihope you get more of the kind of replies you are seeking. 🙂

Best wishes,

Holistic

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

Well, here goes for my first post to the site and this Forum!

The debate about whether patients would be misled about the title "Doctor" being used by Chiropractors is very interesting.

However, it may be the case that many patients are not really aware of the level of expertise of the medical doctors they consult. I have recently tried to find out the relative specialisms / areas of expertise of GPs in a practice I have registered with, and have found it very difficult. At least when I go to a Chiropractor I know what they have expertise in.

I would be interested in views from others.

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

ORIGINAL: anonnymouse

However, I know plenty of lay-people who are less well informed, and who may not realise their chiropractor, Dr Bloggs, is not actually a registered medical practitioner at all, but someone with a BSc in Chiropractic who calls himself 'Doctor'. There is a difference!

1. Doctors of Chiropractic have 3 years of undergrad coursework completed including 32 s/h of basic sciencesincluding Anatomy and Physiology 1-2, General Chemistry 1-2, Organic Chemistry 1-2, and Physics 1-2.

2. After they complete their undergrade courses they go to Chiropractic College for 4 academic years or 3 calendar years. The course load is 30 credits per trimester (semester) in classes very closely resembling courses taken by Medical Doctors and Doctors of Osteopath. In fact Chiropractors take more credits overall than Medical Doctors, but they are divided up in more pertainable fields like Anatomy, Neurology etc instead of Psychology etc.

3. Upon graduation Chiropracticstudentsearn a Doctor of Chiropractic degree. It is not just a BS degree. By the time I graduate I will have 2 BS degrees and my Doctorate degree.

4. MD's, DO's and DCs are all primary care physicians. They all have earned the right to call themselves doctors. Even Dentists (DDS) and PhD's can call themselves doctors so I dont see the problem.

5. A Chiropractor calling themself a Doctor is not unethical. They have earned that right and deserve the same respect as a MD, DO, DDS, PhD etc.

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

I believe if they have earnt the right to call themselves doctors they should do so. If they aren't making a claim to be a GP or surgeon, but stating they are a doctor of chiropracy. If you look under your trades description act, you cannot make false claims, so as long as they act under the terms and conditions of their governing bodies and within the realms of their training they are ok.

There are a lot of doctors where I work part time - none of them medical doctors, but have studied for many years to obtain their doctorates.. they are entitled to the term doctor. It's their right, given their training to call themselves as such.

Training for positions such as chiros and physios is extensive and tough, they do work hard and there is a strong medical basis within the scope of their studies. They aren't GPS, they don't do medicine, but their knowledge of anatomy and physiology, in part, certainly for the skeleton, would probably be far deeper than that of many doctors.

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

Dear chiro2b,

Many thanks for your post.

Actually, we were talking specifically about the use of the title 'Doctor' by chiropractors in the UK.

Evidently, it israther different in Texas.

Thank you, Gussie and Cyberdoc, for your comments- most helpful.

Keep your comments coming, folks. It looks like there is a general consensus that this practice is perfectly alright, against my personal opinion.

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

Hi :),

The use of the title is more a tradition based of the american system, since Chiropracticstarted in the US.

In America there are many clinical Doctorates: Dentists, Podiatrists, Vets, Physicians, Osteopaths, some Physiotherapists and of course, Chiropractors. In the UK however Dr is almost exclusively an academic title that is also used in an honourary capacaty by Physicians for historical reasons, since there are no laws against it however,many Chiropractors use the titlein the same way anAmerican Chiropractor would, I am sure this would not be done if Physicians didn't do it! Osteopaths seem to be happy enough with Mr, Mrs etc, perhaps due to the differencesin scope of practice.

While the GCC Code of Practice does not prohibit the use of the title, It does explicitly prohibit using it in such a way as to imply that one is a Registered Medical Practitioner, how this works in practice I do not know as I don't believe anyone has been disciplined for this yet.

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

The three chiropractors I have known, all Danish, did not expect to be called doctor but the word was on their literature. They all said they have to train more years than a medical doctor, for qualification.

The dentists at my dental practice are all called doctor.

What I find strange is the form of address to hospital consultants. We always called them Mister, till a few years ago. Now they are starting to be 'doctor' again.

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

For info re 'titles' in Hospital Medicine, in the hope that it helps.

The practice is for Surgeons to call themselves 'Mr / Ms / Miss' once they have passed their postgraduate Membership examinations. Physicians call themselves 'Dr' from the time they pass their undergraduate degree until they retire (and sometimes beyond).

RE: Ethical use of title 'Doctor'?

Here's an interesting case study which (hopefully) might add to the debate. I need to give some background to set the scene then I will present the ethical question/dilemma, so bear with me.

I have a friend who is thinking of starting their own business as a Sports Consultant, which may include some therapy, and we have discussed this in some detail. Here is a potted CV:

• Bachelor of Education (Honours) (BEd (Hons)) Human Movement Studies
• Teaching Certificate in Secondary Physicial Education (T.Cert. Sec. PE)
• Taught Masters Course in Bioengineering - modules included: Medical Science, Eithics, Statistics, Biomechanics, Materials in Medicine, Prosthetics & Orthotics and Artificail Organ Engineering
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Bioengineering - specifically Sports Biomechanics
• National Governing Body qualified Coach
• 10 years Coaching professionally in Sport
• Consultant to National Governing Bodies and British Olympic Association
• National and International Event Organiser
• National and International performer in 3 sports over 30 years

The question: Would it be un/ethical for my friend to use their title 'Dr' for business purposes and why?

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

Patients must be protected from misunderstanding (or deliberate misrepresentation). Legislation exists for this in other disciplines- you cannot call yourself Doctor and practice Medicine in Britain, unless you are registered with the GMC. Osteopaths and physios cannot entitle themselves 'Doctor' unless they are medically registered practitioners- this prevents such misunderstanding.
Chiropractors do not exercise this ethical standard. This looks bad, because they are seen to benefit from this.

I thought you might be interested in this quotation from the General Chiropractic Council, the regulatory body for the chiropractic profession in the UK. It comes from their "Standard of Proficiency and Code of Practice" booklet by which all chiropractors in the UK are expected to abide as a condition of their registration. In order to call yourselfa chiropractor in the UK it is required that youhave graduated from an institution accredited by this regulatory body (or face prosecution).

Code of Practice - Section 7 - Subsection 7.4

" Chiropractors shall not use any title or qualification in such a way that the public may be misled as to it's meaning or significance. In particular, chiropractors who use the title "doctor" and who are not registered medical practitioners shall ensure that, where appropriate (for example, in any advertisements and in their dealings with patients and other health professionals) they make it clear that they are registered chiropractors and not registered medical practitioners."

There are many, many chiropractors who do not use the title at all for just as many reasons.

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

Thanks, kheirokid.

chiropractors who use the title "doctor" and who are not registered medical practitioners shall ensure that, where appropriate (for example, in any advertisements and in their dealings with patients and other health professionals) they make it clear that they are registered chiropractors and not registered medical practitioners

They don't.

They can't. In practical terms.

So perhaps they shouldn't call themselves Doctor at all?

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

Unethical use of title ‘Doctor’….. are you kidding? Yes Chiropractors are Doctor’s…

By the way…. Not all Medical Dr.’s have P.H.D’s and not all Chiropractors have P.H.D’s from their school of Medicine or Chiropractic school.

When they go to take their boards… Medical and Chiropractors are in the same room taking the same test…. They only split when the test is on their specialty… a.k.. Medicine or Spine…

Yes, Chiropractors are Physicians and they Ethically should be called ‘Doctor.”

M.D.’s practice Medicine. That’s the difference.

Deb

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

Dear Deb,

Thank you for your post.

I am sorry, but you appear to have misunderstood my concerns.

In this thread, we are referring to the practice of Chiropractors calling themselves Doctor IN THE UK.

The system for training and qualification in the USA is quite different from that in England, where the degree awarded for Chiropractic qualification is a BSc (hons).

In the US, Chiropractors are indeed physicians, and may call themselves Doctor with full ethical legitimacy. Here in the UK, they merely hold a BSc degree (the same as physiotherapists, osteopaths, podiatrists, etc.), and are no more qualified to call themselves Doctor than someone who has successfully qualified with a BSc in Business Studies.

They do so merely to engender themselves with professionalstatus.

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

Anonnymouse,

My Chiropractor has resored my faith in the title 'Dr'. Healthcare not sickcare, that's what a doctor should be providing. Our little country is sick,and GP's just ain't the solution, unless the flu jab will save us all!!

My GP has never provided exercise, nutritional or emotional outlook advice. Never given a workshop on how to heave great health. Never told me about the many books one can buy on improving health for the whole family. Funnily enough, my chiropractor has! If you ask me I think that some GP's should lose the title DR!! GP's are certainly not improving my health at the minute.

Ethics is a good point...have you seen any medical advertising lately...we all best beware because the flu bugis coming. As a marketing consultant I see it everywhere. There are vunerable people about but who should they be protected from? Well trained therapists and Chiropractors or pharmaceutical advertisers?

Some really good replies to your post allude to the training, my wife is currently studying and I can back this up. It's extremely intense for four years. The title Dr is well deserved and well intended. If people need to see the title to have faith in a chiropractor then there's a good chance they will be healthier as the end result. You surely don't have an issue with that?

The Chiropractic regulatory body states that protection of the public and patients is a central aim of it's existence. I wouldn't be too worried...people will just get healthy and enjoy life more.

Best of health

P.S. I didn't spell check so apologies for any mistakes.

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

ORIGINAL: anonnymouse

The system for training and qualification in the USA is quite different from that in England, where the degree awarded for Chiropractic qualification is a BSc (hons).

In the US, Chiropractors are indeed physicians, and may call themselves Doctor with full ethical legitimacy. Here in the UK, they merely hold a BSc degree (the same as physiotherapists, osteopaths, podiatrists, etc.), and are no more qualified to call themselves Doctor than someone who has successfully qualified with a BSc in Business Studies.

They do so merely to engender themselves with professionalstatus.

The qualification at the Anglo European College of Chiropractic in the UK is an MSc. Check their website and you'll see the difference between the course content and a business studies degree. [link= http://www.aecc.ac.co.uk ]www.aecc.ac.co.uk[/link]

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

The UK seem to have a greater degree of protection on the title "Dr" than in other parts of the world. In Australia, Chiros call themselves "Dr" in all but 2 states (Queensland and NSW). In these states, the government has prohibited the use of the title to avoid public confusion between medical practitioners and chiros. The problem in Australia is that hardly any Chiros have doctoral degrees, so the use of "Dr" in a self-imposed honourific title. It can be argued this is the same for Medical Practitioners who have used the title "Dr" for quite some time now. You need to ask the question why recently have Chiros decided to join, considering they are probably the only profession that uses the title without a doctoral degree outside medicine, vet and dentistry. The term "Dr" is being diluted here now as there is no clear indication as to what it actually means? Does it mean they are a medical doctor? Does it mean that hold a doctoral (e.g. Ph.D.) degree? or does it mean that they want to sound enough like these two in order to give themselves public credibility. Australia is perhaps half way between UK and US in terms of its widespread adoption of the term - but strickly speaking, anyone can call themself a "Dr" here without much question. Even a plumber or electrician could changed their title to "Dr". Its meaning is all but lost in the modern world.

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

A couple of questions for OP:

Above you seem to agree that US doctors of chiropractic can use the title Dr.

1)Have you checked out if there are any differences in the training and education between the UK and USA for doctors of chiropractic?

2)Have you looked into the differences and similiarites of chiropractic education and training versus medical education and training?

From my own understanding, there is no difference to question 1 and little difference in question 2.

I believe they should be able to call themselves "doctors of chiropractic"

Your comments that physiotherapists dont call themselves doctors is a bit strange. I trained as a physio and the training of physiotherapists compared to chiropractors is like comparing the trainign of a security guard and the police. The security guard being the physiotherapist.

I am going to make an educated assumption your are a Dr yourself so you will be aware how difficult certain subjects such as pahtology and neurophysiology/neuroanatomy are. Both of whish are studied heavily during chiropractic education

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

<I believe they should be able to call themselves "doctors of chiropractic" >

Why exactly? I don't see the rationale to be honest.

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

Okay.

The original questionis whether it is ethical for chiropractors to call themselves 'Doctor'.

The case against:
1 They are not registered medical practitioners
2 They will be assumed to be so by the lay public
3 They enjoy elevation of status by association with the title

The question of the training of chiropractors, or how caring and helpful they may beis completelyirrelevant for the purposes of this discussion.

Chiropractorsare not medical doctors.

So, is it ethical for them to call themselves Doctor?

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

Dear Anonnymouse,
You do seem to have a bee in your bonnet about me using the title Dr, to be honest I have not really thought much about it until I came across this forum. None of my clients call me doctor they all address me by my christian name. I think Yellow pages have given me the title in the phone book. When I write to a GP If I don't know them I address them as doctor and they show me the same curtsey, I have never asked anybody to call me Dr.

In the US there are 120,000 chiropractors they have traditionally called themselves doctors. Up until the 70s British chiropractors were educated in the US many of my tutors when I trained in England were American I guess they did not see it as a problem and the students always addressed them by their Dr title, as they were entitled to expect while working in another country.

How could anybody assume that we were medical doctors when medicine is covered by the NHS. I am a chiropractor, a chiropractic doctor DC as opposed to a medical doctor MD. The vast majority of people who seek chiropractic have tried the free medical service for their problem, not been happy with it and gone looking for something else.

Why would I want to mislead anybody into thinking that I was a "medical doctor” and charging them for the service I provide, the same service that had not worked for them in the first place, now that would be unethical andhardly the way to build a practice.

As you are so concerned about chiropractors passing themselves off as medical doctors, may I suggest if you know a chiropractor who is implying that they are medical doctors you should report them to the General Chiropractic Council. If you are right I guarantee they will be charged with unprofessional conduct.

If we want to be pedantic about it the title doctor should only be used by people with a PHd.

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

Dear RichardL,

Thank you for your reply.

You do seem to have a bee in your bonnet about me using the title Dr

Please do not patronise me; this is nothing to do with bonnets or bees- I have a legitimate concern.

None of my clients call me doctor they all address me by my christian name.

Fine. But do you know how they refer to you to third parties? And are you certain that they do not consider you to be a registered medical practitioner? Have you ever asked them?

I think Yellow pages have given me the title in the phone book.

That is between you and the Yellow Pages. It is up to you to instruct the Yellow Pages how they represent you. You could disabuse them of this error, if you so wished. They could sort it out for the next publication.

When I write to a GP If I don't know them I address them as doctor and they show me the same curtsey, I have never asked anybody to call me Dr.

Courtesy is all well and good, except if harm results through misunderstanding. Do you agree? By the way, do you entitle yourself Doctor on your stationery? If so, it is most likely that you will be addressed as such by your correspondents.

In the US there are 120,000 chiropractors they have traditionally called themselves doctors. Up until the 70s British chiropractors were educated in the US many of my tutors when I trained in England were American I guess they did not see it as a problem and the students always addressed them by their Dr title, as they were entitled to expect while working in another country.

We are debating the question of whether this tradition is ethically correct in Britain. Your explanation of the history of this tradition in the US does not justify it here.

How could anybody assume that we were medical doctors when medicine is covered by the NHS.

This is a little disingenuous, methinks. The simplefact is that they do, so I suppose it makes no difference that we have a NHS.

I am a chiropractor, a chiropractic doctor DC as opposed to a medical doctor MD.

The ‘D’ in your DC is an honorary title, and does not denote a doctorate. In this way it is misleading. The ‘D’ in MD denotes a true Doctorate degree.

The vast majority of people who seek chiropractic have tried the free medical service for their problem, not been happy with it and gone looking for something else. Why would I want to mislead anybody into thinking that I was a "medical doctor” and charging them for the service I provide, the same service that had not worked for them in the first place, now that would be unethical andhardly the way to build a practice.

Yes, I agree that it would be unethical- this is precisely what I am suggesting. If you truly did not wish to be associated with medical doctors, why would you call yourself Doctor at all? The title permits and encourages the false assumption that you are a registered medical practitioner. If you reallydidn’t want this, you wouldn’t call yourself Doctor.

As you are so concerned about chiropractors passing themselves off as medical doctors, may I suggest if you know a chiropractor who i

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

You obviously have serious concerns about this,you started posting in August have done 16 postings and have not accepted any explanation. My partner has a PHd in chemistry and if she does not have a problem with medical doctors or chiropractors using the title Dr [link= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_(title ]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_(title[/link]) thats good enough for me.

None of my 4 children have had so much as a spoonfull of calpol or vaccinations, the last thing I wouldwantis for anyone to think I was medical in anyway.Unfortunatly there are many chiropractors and medical doctors who seechiropractic as a branch of medicine. "Manual Medicine" they call it in Germany. Those chiropractors tend not to use the title Dr prefering Mister.

Ifas you say you have a concerns you should takethem up with the General Chiropractic Council, [link= http://www.gcc-uk.org ]www.gcc-uk.org[/link] they regulate the profession and are there to protect you from chiropractors who would imply they were medical doctors.

Yours sincerely
Dr Richard Lanigan BSc Chiropractic, MSc Public Health.

PS As a ruleI dontuse the title Dr especially since wewere given theoption to prescribe(health and social care Act 2000), butafterreading your postingsI may reconsider.

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

You obviously have serious concerns about this,you started posting in August have done 16 postings and have not accepted any explanation.

You are correct- I am still very concerned about this. Although I have read all of the above ‘explanations’ for this tradition, I’ve not seen any justification of the ethics (about which I am solely concerned). Nobody (yourself included) has actually defended the ethical correctness of this practice.

My partner has a PHd in chemistry and if she does not have a problem with medical doctors or chiropractors using the title Dr [link= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_(title ]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_(title[/link]) thats good enough for me.

With all respect to your partner, it’s not ‘good enough’ for me that she doesn’t have a problem with this; I remain concerned.

None of my 4 children have had so much as a spoonfull of calpol or vaccinations,.Unfortunatly there are many chiropractors and medical doctors who seechiropractic as a branch of medicine. "Manual Medicine" they call it in Germany. Those chiropractors tend not to use the title Dr prefering Mister.

I am confused by this statement. On one hand you appear to be distancing yourself from (even rejecting) allopathic medicine; on the other you’re defending your use of the title Doctor. You say, ‘the last thing I wouldwantis for anyone to think I was medical in anyway’. So why call yourself Doctor?

Incidentally, you also appear to contradict yourself by stating that your chiropractic colleagues, who do see themselves as orthodox medical practitioners, prefer to call themselves Mister, not Doctor- which practice would be less likely to lead third parties to assume they were medical doctors.

Ifas you say you have a concerns you should takethem up with the General Chiropractic Council, [link= http://www.gcc-uk.org/ ]www.gcc-uk.org[/link] they regulate the profession and are there to protect you from chiropractors who would imply they were medical doctors.

Fine. But you are missing the point here. I am asking the users of this forum to let me know if they believe there is any likelihood that chiropractors may be mistaken for registered medical practitioners because they call themselves Doctor. That is all.

Richard, could I ask you to answer (honestly) three simple questions? ‘Yes or no’ answers will do.

1. Do you agree that it might be a bad thing if patients wrongly assume a chiropractor to be a registered medical practitioner?

2. Do you agree that a patient is more likely to make this mistake if their chiropractor calls themselves Doctor?

3. Do you believe that this tradition can be justified when such cases of misunderstanding might occur?

My concern is purely for the welfare of patients. I am not interested in the historical mores or sensibilities of the chiropractic profession. In theory, you should feel the same way.

Yours sincerely
Dr Richard Lanigan BSc Chiropractic, MSc Public Health.

(Not a medical doctor, and not the holder of a Doctorate degree, but user of a traditional courtesy- do not be mistaken, patients!)

PS As a ruleI dontuse the title Dr especially since wewere given theoption to prescribe(health and social care Act 2000), butafterreading your postingsI may reconsider.

You appear to be piqued by my criticism of this tradition, and it seems you are implicitlytrying to punish me by threatening to defy my concerns. This conduct is hardly becoming of a professional healthcare worker. You discredit yourself.

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

1. Do you agree that it might be a bad thing if patients wrongly assume a chiropractor to be a registered medical practitioner?

Yes

2. Do you agree that a patient is more likely to make this mistake if their chiropractor calls themselves Doctor? If the chiropractors wereto call themselves Dr only,the answerwould beyes.

I repeat,if you knowanyone who has done this you should report them to the GCC.We are not allowed to use the title Dr unless it isclearthe person is achiropractor. The code ofconductof the General Chiropractic Council says we must make it absolutely clear thatchiropractors are Doctors of Chiropractic not medicine,I can not make it any clearer for youand as youhave not provided any evidence of a chiropractor doing thisit is very difficult for me to take your concerns seriously.

3. Do you believe that this tradition can be justified when such cases of misunderstanding might occur? This tradition can be justified because you have notproduced any evidence of chiropractors trying to mislead the public.

You say, ‘the last thing I wouldwantis for anyone to think I was medical in anyway’. So why call yourself Doctor?

I don’t usually call myself doctor, as I have saidmost of my colleagues do use the title, however I have made an exception for this forum because I canand you are the only person I have ever come across who is confused by it.I wonder was anybodyelse misled by my use of the title DR inmy posting.

"Incidentally, you also appear to contradict yourself by stating that your chiropractic colleagues, who do see themselves as orthodox medical practitioners" May I suggest you read again what I wrote. Physiotherapists are a branch of medicine they do not consider themselves as "orthodox medical practitioners" neither do any chiropractors.I can only draw from this distortion of mycomment that,it is you who is trying to create the impression that chiropractors "see themselves as orthodox medical practitioners"not any chiropractors you know of.

You appear to be piqued by my criticism of this tradition, and it seems you are implicitlytrying to punish me by threatening to defy my concerns. This conduct is hardly becoming of a professional healthcare worker. You discredit yourself.

What can I say, "punish" "threatening" "defy my concerns" "conduct" unbecoming a professional.Now you know my name and have time on your hands you should contact the GCC. They will be very concerned byyour allegations.

I am thinking, I may have been mistaken in trying to reason with you on this, at least my comments are out there for others to read.So good bye!

Yours sincerely
Dr Richard Lanigan BSc (chiropractic)

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

Dear Richard,

Thank you for your reply to my post. I am sorry that we seem to have found a rather adversarial tone here, and I recognise you have a professional pride that my comments have seemed to affront. Please understand that my concerns about the use of the title Doctor are in no way directed at you specifically, nor at any other individual chiropractor.

If you read through my previous posts on this thread you will see clearly where my concerns lie. It is the tradition within the British chiropractic profession as a whole that I object to, and not yourself. In fact I have the highest respect for your willingness to contribute to this debate, and very much appreciate that you are trying to reason with me on this.

Your advice that I should report any chiropractor to their GCC if I believe their conduct to breach their code is unnecessary: I have no such complaint. The truth is that this clause in the Code of Conduct is pretty meaningless, since it is literally impossible for chiropractors to prevent any person from making the (false) assumption that they are a doctor of medicine. This Code does not protect the public as it cannot be upheld. How would it be possible for you to make it absolutely clear that you are not a doctor of medicine? You would, literally, have to make an explicit disclaimer after every written and spoken reference to you as Doctor Lanigan. This is, obviously, impractical.

No, I am afraid that it is simply not possible for you to prevent the (wrong) assumption that you are a medical doctor (however much you may wish to) if you call yourself Doctor.

You have suggested that this ‘confusion’ has never happened to you before, but how can you be sure? I can tell you that it certainly does happen with other chiropractors. If you still do not believe this, may I suggest you interview your own patients? You may be surprised by how many of them had simply (and unthinkingly) assumed you hold a qualification which makes you a registered medical practitioner- because of your use of the title Doctor.

I cannot provide evidence that chiropractors are deliberately trying to mislead the public in this way, but I can provide evidence that the public are misled (whether chiropractors like it or not). It would be a fair assumption (based on the fact that chiropractors stand to gain from this practice, and that they defend it so staunchly) that they are being somewhat cynical, but this would be hard to prove. Either way, the practice is unethical.

Respectfully yours,

anonnymouse.

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

Hi there,

I am a Chiropractor and just wanted to add a few things. First, a lot of Chiros in the US CAN call themselves Doctor, but i think the question is not whether we can, but whether we should. My personal opinion is that in any healing or "doctor" patient relationship, as someone who has training in an area, you are responsible. That means, part of the job is to have an open dialogue with people who come in to you and you should explain these things. No abuse of power or title is ever necessary, however, I think us chiros, somtimes feel we have to prove things to the medical docs and maybe even feel that the title will make people who come in sit up and take notice, which is all a bit silly. Results are what matter and what speaks volumes and there are good and bad chiros. We do work hard for the degree and we do have a level of expertise and the original meaning of Doctor is actually "teacher"-so we should teach the public that we are not Medical docs, or GPS. Simple clear cimmunication is key.

Charlotte

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

Hmmm I have read and re read your posts anonymous and the only thing that has become clear to me is anoverwhelming sense of your personal bias against Chiropractors. For example it has been pointed out to you that other professional use the Dr title yet they are not registered with the GMC, so clearly the title is not exclusive. Drsare also affordedthe title by courtesy as many do not carry aPHD (the only formalway to confer this title). I would also like to point out that Chiropractors are rightly classed as primary healthcare Physicians and have earned the right to this coutesy title. This nonsence about the public being fooled into thinkingChiropractors are Drs of medicine is a complete red herring, the public are not fools as you wouldhave us think;theyare quite capeable of making rational decisionsabout their healthcare choiceswhether the practitioner calls him or herself DR or not. I put it to youanonymous that you could have chosen upteen targets surrounding the subject of the so calledmissuse of the DRtitle, you chose Chiropractors due toa poorly disguised personal bias the rest is window dressing.The question is whydo you feels the wayyou do, first a story:

In the not to distant past there lived (in a quango in london) a rather over zealousExecutiveOfficer. He for some inexplicable reason seemed to enjoy hurting the people he had power over (decendants of some Greek sounding Chap,Cheiro Practikos I think???)He even went as far as postingnasty things about the Greek descendants on the internet. Heeven went as far as impersonating theGreek descendants on the internetwhich was againts the law. Unfortunatelyfor him the greekdecendants found out and he was asked to tender his resignation or be sacked. He was told that if he resigned he would get a reference and get another job with another (newer) Quango. Which he did (oh yes and we know which one). Since then his loathing and hatredfor the greek descendants has grown and he has resumed old and some wouldsay innapropriate internethabits.funnily enough this persons initials are GP but dont worry were never were fooled into thinking that he was a General Practitioner

So if the tone and contentof theanonymousposting seem a little official you may nowgain some insight as to why.

I understand that the moderators may wish toeither delete or censor this postings but before you do ask the questions why wouldI bother to waste my time writing this and secondly askanonymous to deny what I have written or insinuated. By theGP wealreadyKnow it's you.For those interested enough to find out more try the following web address

[link= http://www.chiropractic-uk.info ]www.chiropractic-uk.info[/link]and look up cognitio2

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

Pauline stated earlier in this thread that she would not expect a chiropractor to diagnose tonsilitis - this is eactly the point. Chiropractors are legally obliged to differentially diagnose and not all back pain (or pain in any other part of the body for that matter) is necessarily musculoskeletal.

As a registered UK Chiropractor I am honored and burdened by the responsibility to correctly diagnose the medical condition patients present with - and sometimes am able to say that today I saved a life by sending the patient with an ectopic pregnancy (shoulder tip pain as presenting symptom), bone cancer, Myocardial Infarct (pain referring to posterior left shoulder).

I work in the same way that a medical doctor does and know that my training in clinical medicine and differential diagnosis is of a similar standard. Why shouldn't I be know as Dr so and so _ Chiropractor?

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

Charlotte, thank you for your excellent post:

I am a Chiropractor and just wanted to add a few things. First, a lot of Chiros in the US CAN call themselves Doctor, but i think the question is not whether we can, but whether we should. My personal opinion is that in any healing or "doctor" patient relationship, as someone who has training in an area, you are responsible. That means, part of the job is to have an open dialogue with people who come in to you and you should explain these things. No abuse of power or title is ever necessary, however, I think us chiros, somtimes feel we have to prove things to the medical docs and maybe even feel that the title will make people who come in sit up and take notice, which is all a bit silly. Results are what matter and what speaks volumes and there are good and bad chiros. We do work hard for the degree and we do have a level of expertise and the original meaning of Doctor is actually "teacher"-so we should teach the public that we are not Medical docs, or GPS. Simple clear cimmunication is key.

Many thanks for this. I appreciate your honesty and sensitive handling of this issue. You do your profession a great credit- which is more than can be said about some of the comments in other posts on this topic. I agree with your final point- communication is key.

Chiropractors do indeed have an ethical and profesisonal duty to communicate effectively and clearly with their patients, and this includes the correct representation of their professional status- both implied and explicit.

RL,

Hmmm I have read and re read your posts anonymous and the only thing that has become clear to me is an overwhelming sense of your personal bias against Chiropractors. For example it has been pointed out to you that other professional use the Dr title yet they are not registered with the GMC, so clearly the title is not exclusive. Drs are also afforded the title by courtesy as many do not carry a PHD (the only formal way to confer this title). I would also like to point out that Chiropractors are rightly classed as primary healthcare Physicians and have earned the right to this coutesy title. This nonsence about the public being fooled into thinking Chiropractors are Drs of medicine is a complete red herring, the public are not fools as you would have us think; they are quite capeable of making rational decisions about their healthcare choices whether the practitioner calls him or herself DR or not. I put it to you anonymous that you could have chosen upteen targets surrounding the subject of the so called missuse of the DR title, you chose Chiropractors due to a poorly disguised personal bias the rest is window dressing. The question is why do you feels the way you do, first a story:

In the not to distant past there lived (in a quango in london) a rather over zealous Executive Officer. He for some inexplicable reason seemed to enjoy hurting the people he had power over (decendants of some Greek sounding Chap,Cheiro Practikos I think???) He even went as far as posting nasty things about the Greek descendants on the internet. He even went as far as impersonating the Greek descendants on the internet which was againts the law. Unfortunately for him the greek decendants found out and he was asked to tender his resignation or be sacked. He was told that if he resigned he would get a reference and get another job with another (newer) Quango. Which he did (oh yes and we know which one). Since then his loathing and hatred for the greek descendants has grown and he has resumed old and some would say innapropriate internet habits. funnily enough this persons initials are GP but dont worry were never were fooled into thinking that he was a General Practitioner

So if the tone and content of the anonymous posting seem a little official you may now gain some insight as to why.
I understand that the moderators may wish to eithe

RE: Unethical use of title 'Doctor'

A little story that seems appropriate for this thread. I'll start by explaining I have no vested interests - I did go for a few chiropractic sessions once but found it unhelpful, and I then seemed to be caught up in a cycle of "maintenance" when there seemed to be no benefit.

A client of mine (she comes to Pilates) started going to a chiropractor and I was a bit concerned because she called him Dr. * and seemed to hang on his every word and was spending a great deal of money, not just on chiropractic with him, but a number of other "tests" and therapies. I had said to her at the beginning to be careful.
Aftera few weeks, I'd decided to have a furtherdiscussion with her, when this happened. Dr* had got her to undergo blood tests (for a fee of £100) They showed up that shehad excess calcium, which could have explained a thing or two about my clients physiology. He encouraged her to got to the GP, who poo-poohed the whole thing, but nonetheless sent her for NHS tests. The NHS tests showed the same thing but much more ambiguously, and was dismissed by the GP. At about the same time my client suffered tremendous headaches and called out her GP who prescibed pain-killers. My client endedup in A and E where it was discovered that she had nearly gone blind in one eye andsubsequent tests revealed that excess calcium was to blame. It is an incredibly rare condition, and they are still testing her to see what ishappening.

I think it's important for the client to be wary when they go to the GP or to alternative practitioners in general.Good practice and good care and a willingness to be open minded sometimes benefit clients more than a complacent attitude after years of study and a qualification and title. As suggested above, communication is key.

Sharon