Our Research

Registrant Survey 2020

In October 2020, we commissioned a national survey to explore the views of registrants across a range of different areas including qualifications, job satisfaction, clinical practice and the future of the profession. In total, 968 registrants completed the survey.

A series of in-depth interviews was also undertaken following the survey to understand registrants’ perceptions, experiences, and opinions in greater detail.

The research is part of the GCC’s commitment to using evidence and insight to support registrants in their day-to-day work delivering high quality patient care as well as guiding our work as a regulator.

View the full Registrant Survey report: Registrant Survey (2020) 

View the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion report: Registrant Survey (2020) - EDI report

View the Registrant Survey infographic: Registrant Survey Infographic

Past Research

(Executive summary) How is touch communicated in the context of manual therapy? A literature review

How is touch communicated in the context of manual therapy? A literature review

An Assesssment of CPD Provision for Chiropractors in the UK

Europe Economics Report - Counterfactual for Revalidation (July 2010)

Patients are at the centre of everything that we do. This is why we work closely with our Patient Community panel to regularly gather their views and perspectives on a wide range of topics. You can read more about how the Patient Community is informing our work in the research reports here.

Factors contributing to chiropractic patient satisfaction

This report is the second part of a two-stage GCC research project to better understand chiropractic patient experience and satisfaction nationally and internationally. Co-authors, Professor Dave Newell and Dr Michelle Holmes spoke to patients across the UK and compared their experience to the findings of a literature study.

Full report

Patient Experience and satisfaction during chiropractic care

The report is the first part of a two-stage GCC research project to better understand chiropractic patient experience and satisfaction nationally and internationally. Co-authors, Professor Dave Newell and Dr Michelle Holmes initially identified over 3,000 documents, refining the search to 43 research articles that fulfilled inclusion and exclusion criteria as based on a preregistered review protocol (Prospero ID: CRD42020203251).   

View the full report, here.

Public perceptions research 
 
In October 2020 we commissioned a national survey of over 1,000 members of the UK public to explore public perceptions and awareness of chiropractic services. The experiences of 243 patients who have visited a chiropractor for treatment were also surveyed. The findings provide many valuable and useful insights that will support registrants in their day-to-day work delivering high quality patient care and help guide our work as a regulator.

View the full report: Public Perceptions Research report (February 2021)

Past Research

Patients' Experiences and Expectations of Chiropractic Care (2015)

Research into Patients Views and Expectations of Chiropractic Care; Firefly Final Report (January 2013)

Research into Patients Views and Expectations of Chiropractic Care (2012)

Awareness and perceptions of chiropractors, Ipsos MORI (2009)

Awareness and Perceptions of Chiropractors, MORI (2004)

Independent Review of Fitness to Practise Cases 2010 – 2013

In Summer 2023, we carried out a survey of registrants, and a similar survey of patients, to understand their experiences of discrimination within the profession and their attitudes to equality, diversity and inclusion.

In total, 562 registrants completed the survey and 510 patients were eligible to take part in the survey:

• Registrant Attitudes to EDI survey report
• Registrant Attitudes to EDI findings infographic
   
• Patient Attitudes to EDI survey report
• Patient Attitudes to EDI findings infographic