Principal Investigator: Robert Vining, D.C., D.H.Sc.
Description: Quality health care encompasses a wide variety of factors such as patient experience, safety, effectiveness, and efficiency. Providing and receiving quality care is important for patients, practitioners, and health organizations. Quality indicators measure elements of care that offer key information about the care patients receive and outcomes that can be expected. This line of research seeks to develop, validate, and study quality indicators for chiropractic care. The overall goal is to enhance the capacity of providers and health organizations to regularly assess and inform the delivery of high-value chiropractic care.
Patient Perspectives of High-Value Chiropractic Care: A Scoping Review of Qualitative Data
Description
Performance Period: November 2025 – December 2026
Principal Investigator(s): Robert Vining, D.C., D.H.Sc.; Amy Minkalis, D.C., M.S.
Co-Investigator(s): Elissa Twist, D.C., M.S., CCRP
Site: Palmer College of Chiropractic, Davenport, IA.
Description: The long-term goal of this research is to foster evidence-based and standardized quality assessment for chiropractic care. This project will identify what patients value from qualitative studies reporting on what is important to patients receiving chiropractic care. The project will identify and compare perspectives corresponding with current quality measures and those developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. With potential to generate new patient-centric measures, the project will also serve as a foundation for further measure development by obtaining feedback from chiropractic patients.
Validating Quality Indicators for Chiropractic: A Consensus Study
Description
Performance Period: 8/1/2023-06/01/2025
Principal Investigator: Robert Vining, D.C., D.H.Sc.
Co-Investigators: Elissa Twist, D.C., M.S; Amy Minkalis, D.C., M.S.
Post-doctoral Research Scholar: Maranda Kleppe, D.C.
Description: The study will use a modified Delphi consensus process to review, rate, and comment on 70 preliminary quality indicators for chiropractic care. A best practice in quality indicator development involves engaging distinct stakeholder groups, each with relevant experience and knowledge. We plan to recruit chiropractic practitioners in integrative settings, administrators overseeing chiropractic care, and researchers conducting clinical research involving chiropractic care or using scientific methods to develop best practice recommendations or clinical guidelines.
Presentations
Vining R, Twist E, Minkalis A, Kleppe M*, Kedilaya S. A Delphi panel consensus study validating the appropriateness, relevance, and clarity of quality measures for chiropractic care. 18th World Federation of Chiropractic Biennial Congress, May 7-10, 2025, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Vining R, Twist E, Minkalis A, Kleppe M*, Kedilaya S. A Delphi panel consensus study validating the appropriateness, clarity, and relevance of a preliminary set of quality measures for chiropractic care. International Congress on Integrative Medicine & Health, March 5-7, 2025, Seattle, WA.
Essential Quality Indicators for Chiropractic Care: A National Survey
Description
Performance Period: 8/6/2024-3/31/2026
Principal Investigators: Robert Vining, D.C., D.H.Sc; Maranda Kleppe, D.C.
Co-Investigator: Jacob McCarey, M.S.
Site: Palmer College of Chiropractic, Davenport, IA.
Description: This project aims to understand differences in practitioner perceptions of the relative importance and feasibility of implementing quality indicators across different settings where chiropractic services are offered (e.g., rural vs metropolitan, single vs multidisciplinary). Results from this study will provide data for prioritizing indicators for initial implementation.
Quality Indicators of Chiropractic Care: A Scoping Review
Description
Principal Investigator: Robert Vining, D.C., D.H.Sc.
Co-Investigators: Brian Anderson, D.C., M.P.H., M.S., Ph.D; Jennifer Smith, M.L.I.S., Zachary Almquist, M.A.
Research Honors Student: Danveshka Wong
Description: A scoping review to identify and transform clinical guidelines, best practice publications, and other professional standards into a preliminary set of quality indicators for chiropractic care and identify gaps to inform future research directions.
Presentations
Vining R, Smith J, Anderson B, Almquist Z, Wong D. Developing preliminary quality indicators for chiropractic care: A scoping review. International Congress on Integrative Medicine and Health, April 9-13, 2024.
Vining R, Anderson B, Smith J, Almquist Z, Wong D. A scoping review developing an initial set of quality indicators for chiropractic care. WFC Biennial Congress, October 11-14, 2023, Queensland, Australia.
Publications
Vining R, Smith J, Anderson B, Almquist Z, Wong D. Developing an initial set of quality indicators for chiropractic care: A scoping review.v BMC Health Serv Res. 2024 Jan 12;24(1):65.
