[ad_1]
That decision, which prompted doctors to call for the procedure to be banned, was reversed last night after a meeting of South Australian health ministers on Friday.
The board said state and federal ministers had asked for the ban to be reinstated and flagged “further consultation” on the matter.
“While there is no evidence of serious harm to babies from chiropractic in Australia, the board’s role is primarily to protect the public,” board chairman Dr Wayne Minter said in a statement.
“We look forward to working with ministers to develop an evidence-based final policy on pediatric care that balances the overriding need to protect patients with the right of parents and other patients to have a say in the care they choose.”
Chiropractors insist that infant spinal manipulation can be safe and gentle, helping with colic, reflux, constipation and various sleep problems.
“A chiropractic adjustment is a very specific personalized force appropriate to the size of the person receiving it,” Australian Chiropractic Association president Dr David Cahill said last week.
“So if it’s a baby or a toddler, the amount of pressure you use is very little.”
But reviews have found little evidence to support the treatment’s benefits and the Royal Australian College of GPs says it is not appropriate.
“We know there is a risk of harm, we know there is no evidence of therapeutic benefit or that these therapies are necessary,” Vice President Associate Professor Michael Clements said last week.
Pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Patrick Law emphasized that children “are not fully mature people.”
“Everything you do to them puts them at risk for the future,” he said.
The CBA said it expects chiropractors to comply with its interim policy, as well as the understanding that “children have significant anatomical, physiological, developmental and psychological differences and needs from adults and that their health care management requires specific skills and expertise.”
Chiropractors should modify treatments to match the patient’s age and communicate fully with parents, it said.
“The board is committed to ensuring that the public has access to and receives safe, ethical and competent care from registered chiropractors,” Minter said.
“We welcome any engagement with ministers that can further strengthen responsible practice.”
[ad_2]
