Nearly five years ago, the Council on Chiropractic Practice (CCP) produced its first clinical guideline "Vertebral Subluxation in Chiropractic Practice."

With the help and advice of consultants from the Agency for Healthcare Policy and Research (AHCPR) -- now known as the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research -- the CCP Board and its research committee embarked on an evidence-based process for developing the subluxation guidelines.

The CCP board used an open, thorough, ethical and evidence-based process to direct the development of its guideline. Because of this, the CCP Guidelines were the first chiropractic guideline to be included in the federal government's National Guideline Clearinghouse.

The Mercy Guideline was subsequently added, but has recently been deleted because it no longer meets the criteria for inclusion. The CCP guideline remains the only chiropractic document of its kind included in the NGC.

"To remain in the NGC, a guideline must be reviewed, and if necessary, revised every five years," stated Christopher Kent, D.C., CCP president. "We are approaching our fifth year and we will need to update our guideline. This is a major task and we need the profession's help to ensure the future of the CCP Guideline process."

Before publication, the CCP Guideline went through a process that included a broad and thorough literature search and retrieval. In addition, three conferences were held to compile relevant information. A technique conference was followed by a meeting by various leaders in the profession. A third conference was an open forum where any interested party could give input.

During this process, an expert panel reviewed the literature gathered and evidence from that review was used to create an initial draft of the document.

The draft was distributed to 195 peer reviewers in 12 countries for their comments, and then sent for pilot review. The feedback gathered was used to construct the final document, which was disseminated worldwide. Thousands of copies were mailed throughout the U.S., Canada and other countries and the full text of the document was made available on the Internet.

Many chiropractors have successfully used the CCP Guidelines to defend themselves in malpractice cases, state board actions and against IME abuses, particularly when their subluxation correction care was questioned.

According to CCP Board Member, Matthew McCoy, D.C., "Before CCP, there were no guidelines that practitioners could rely on to defend themselves from these types of actions. If it were not for the CCP guides many more chiropractors and patients would have suffered. We need to keep CCP current in order to protect the welfare of our patients and the rights of chiropractors to practice subluxation-based chiropractic."

In an effort to continue its tradition of openness and profession involvement in the guideline development process, the CCP Board is holding an Open Forum on Friday, April 12, 2002. The meeting will take place from 1-2 p.m. at the Hotel Washington in Washington, D.C.

The meeting is being held in conjunction with the World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA) International Summit, Although not officially associated with the CCP, the WCA is a supporter of the guideline group and offered free space during its event for the meeting.

At this Open Forum, and throughout the revision process, information and input is being sought on a wide range of topics related to vertebral subluxation, its clinical application and the guidelines development process including:

The Forum is open to anyone interested in participating in the process. In addition,the CCP is seeking individuals willing to serve on its research committee to guide and carry out the review process.

Funding for the process is critical and financial donations are being requested as the CCP faces an immediate financial challenge in order to ensure the future of the CCP Guideline process.

Two companies -- CBS Malpractice Insurance and the Chiropractic Leadership Alliance -- have already stepped forward and made financial contributions but more support is needed to ensure that the guidelines are updated in a thorough and timely manner.

For more information, write: CCP, c/o Christopher Kent, D.C., President, 195 N. Franklin Turnpike, Ramsey, NJ 07446, or contact Dr. Matthew McCoy at editor@jvsr.com or 800/347-1011.