OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the variables influencing patients' preferences in choosing their chiropractor in Klang Valley, Malaysia.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study included patients from 5 different chiropractic centers in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Demographic information and variables influencing patients' decisions were obtained through an online questionnaire via quick-response code. Descriptive statistics were used to describe patients' demographics and factors influencing patients' preferences in choosing their chiropractors.
RESULTS: Data were available for 198 chiropractic patients with a mean age of 31.5 years. Approximately 90% of the participants agreed that a chiropractor with good technical and interpersonal skills and excellent service by chiropractic center staff strongly influenced their preference in choosing their chiropractor, while only 13.6% agreed that referral by other health care professionals influenced their preference in choosing their chiropractor.
CONCLUSION: This study emphasizes the influence of a chiropractor's technical and interpersonal skills, as well as friendly staff, on a patient's preferences when choosing their chiropractor. Our findings may provide chiropractic centers and health care providers with a better understanding of the variables that influence a patient's decisions and assist them in improving their services.
* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.