Chiropractic Patient Safety Education Experiences: A Phenomenological Study

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe and interpret chiropractic educators’ experiences teaching patient safety competencies within the didactic portion of a Doctor of Chiropractic program in the Southern United States. The theory guiding the study is the information processing model. The study’s central research question is, what are the lived experiences of chiropractic educators teaching didactic patient safety courses? The study utilizes a hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative methodology. Data was collected via individual interviews, a focus group, and a protocol writing prompt. The data was collected from 12 chiropractic educators teaching patient safety competencies within the didactic portion of a Doctor of Chiropractic program at a single site. Data analysis followed van Manen’s (2016) hermeneutical method for conducting thematic analysis. Thematic analysis revealed eight themes which are no formal patient safety curriculum, do no harm, clinical encounters, patient-centered, elaboration, best practices, authentic learning environments, and safety opinions.