Introduction

To provide consistent and widely adopted chiropractic practice information, to perpetually distribute and update this data, as is necessary, so that consumers and others have reliable information on which to base informed health care decisions.

Evidence • Education • Empowerment...Chiropractic is the safest and most effective treatment(s) available for a wide-range of neuromusculoskeletal conditions. However payors, business and industry leaders, legislators and the public in general are still largely unaware of our effectiveness in terms of both costs and treatment effectiveness. Many gaps still exist in the literature and CCGPP is in need of significant funding in order to grant money to the colleges and other synergistic organizations so they can continue with their important work. To assist with these fund raising efforts, Core Products will match all contributions up to $10,000. For complete details about the Core Matching Funds Campaign, see the related article under Progress Reports.

HELP PUT EVIDENCE INTO PRACTICE!

The Council on Chiropractic Guidelines and Practice Parameters (CCGPP), was formed in 1995 at the behest of the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations (COCSA) and with assistance from the American Chiropractic Association, Association of Chiropractic Colleges, Council on Chiropractic Education, Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards, Foundation for the Advancement of Chiropractic Sciences, Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research, International Chiropractors Association, National Association of Chiropractic Attorneys and the National Institute for Chiropractic Research.

The CCGPP's mission is to provide consistent and widely adopted chiropractic practice information, to perpetually distribute and update this data, as is necessary, so that consumers and others have reliable information on which to base informed health care decisions.

CCGPP was also delegated to examine all existing guidelines, parameters, protocols and best practices in the United States and other nations with a chiropractic lens. Participation and process has been as transparent as possible and a major goal is to represent a diverse cross-section of the profession on the projects that CCGPP has been involved in.

Six members were appointed to represent the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations (COCSA). Other members were appointed by the organizations that created CCGPP. The CCGPP is a steering organization comprised of 21 individuals. 16 are chiropractors with one in education, one in research and 14 in full-time private practice. There is a vendor representative, a representative from chiropractic colleges and attorneys representing the National Association of Chiropractic Attorneys, as well as a public member. A research commission with several dozen members reports to and is supervised by CCGPP.

CCGPP RESEARCHES AND RATES EVIDENCE, WHICH IS COMPILED IN A SUMMARY DOCUMENT FOR THE CHIROPRACTIC PROFESSION AND OTHER RELATED STAKEHOLDERS. THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE EIGHT CLINICAL CHAPTERS COVERED IN THIS PROJECT BEING ASSEMBLED BY CCGPP IS A LITERATURE SYNTHESIS A literature synthesis is an academically rigorous analysis of all the available scientific literature on a specific topic. Reviewers use internationally accepted tools to rate each article according to specific criteria. These include the type of study (randomized controlled trial, case series, etc), the quality of the study, size of the study and many other factors which influence the credibility and strength of the study's conclusions. Each reviewer independently rates all the available articles, and the ratings are compared among the members of the review team. When there is disagreement among the reviewers regarding the conclusions, a formal consensus process is followed to arrive at an overall conclusion upon which all reviewers can agree. The resulting conclusions do not represent the reviewers' own beliefs but rather what the literature actually supports. A literature synthesis is a starting point. It indicates only what we can conclude with supportable, scientific evidence. Appropriate therapeutic approaches will consider the literature synthesis as well as clinical experience, coupled with patient preferences in determining the most appropriate course of care for a specific patient.

The Congress of Chiropractic State Associations (COCSA) http://www.cocsa.org/ was formed over 30 years ago and has as its members the majority of state chiropractic associations. The mission of COCSA is to provide an apolitical forum for the promotion and advancement of the chiropractic profession through service to member state associations. COCSA provides a forum to exchange ideas, and develop solutions to common problems.

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