At-risk advertising by Australian chiropractors and physiotherapists

Table 5 Examples of Minor Misleading Claims as They Appeared on Practitioner’s Websites^a

Misleading Claim Category	Chiropractors	Physiotherapists
Misrepresenting awards	‘X’ Chiropractic: The Award Winning Spine Experts.^b	No examples found.
Misrepresenting Qualification	John Chiropractor DC.^c	No examples found.
Association membership presented as postnominals	Mary Chiropractor BSc, DC, MCAA.^d	Bob Physiotherapist B AppSc (Physio) MAPA.^e
Specialization claim	• a specialist chiropractor for more than a decade.	• specialising in the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal dysfunction and sports injuries
Use of the title Dr. without professional clarification	67 of breaches found. No example required. See explanation below.^f	No examples found.

Explanatory Notes:
^aThese are quotes from practitioners’ webpages
^bThis was a small business award unrelated to spinal expertise
^cJohn Chiropractor did not graduate with a Doctor of Chiropractic, rather he graduated with a double degree (Bachelor/Master or double Bachelor) in chiropractic
^dThe letters MCAA mean: Member Chiropractors Association of Australia
^eThe letters MAPA mean: Member Australian Physiotherapy Association. Membership also appears as APAM
^fIf practitioners choose to adopt the title ‘Dr’ in their advertising, and they are not registered medical practitioners, then (whether or not they hold a Doctorate degree or PhD) they should make it clear that they do not hold registration as medical practitioners [26].
Eg. Dr. Walter Lin (Chiropractor)

ISSN: 2045-709X