Table 5 Measuring working alliance (WA)
Study reference number | How was WA measured? | Which tool was used? |
|---|---|---|
[71] | Specific items in the visit-specific satisfaction questionnaire implicitly measured WA | The RAND VSQ9 is a 9-item questionnaire adapted by the American Medical Group from the Visit Rating Questionnaire used in the RAND Medical Outcomes Study [82] |
[53] | Specific items in the satisfaction questionnaire implicitly measured WA | The 27-item satisfaction questionnaire used for this study was adapted from the chiropractic satisfaction survey [52] |
[34] | Specific items in the satisfaction questionnaire implicitly measured WA | Satisfaction questionnaire designed for this study |
[44] | The study measured chiropractors’ perception of trust, which implicitly explored one of WA’s features (bond) | The survey was created following qualitative analysis to verify emerging themes related to chiropractors’ perceptions of trust |
[72] | The study evaluated questions for informed consent, which implicitly measured two features of WA (agreement on goals and tasks) | A list of questions was developed by the principal authors based on what they believe an educated patient considering chiropractic management of low back pain would want to know before making an informed decision about their care and providing their informed consent |
[73] | The survey assessed behaviour patterns’ of chiropractors’ (1) goal-setting, (2) reevaluating progress with their patients. and (3) the discussion of addressing lifestyle issues. This study implicitly explored two features of WA (agreement on goals and tasks) | Survey designed for this study |
[74] | This study measured patient-centred care during consultation with practitioners, which implicitly explored two features of WA (agreement on goals and tasks) | Patient-Centred Care Scale and the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care measure (The PACIC) |
[75] | Specific items in the satisfaction questionnaire implicitly measured WA | A national telephone satisfaction survey |
[76] | Specific items in the satisfaction questionnaire implicitly measured WA | A visit-specific questionnaire that included a set of 9 items adapted from the Group Health Association of America Visit-Specific Questionnaire |
[54] | Authors explored the doctor–patient encounter (DPE), which implicitly measured WA | Satisfaction Questionnaire by Cherkin and colleagues [34] |
[77] | Specific items in a satisfaction questionnaire implicitly measured WA | Satisfaction Questionnaire by Cherkin and colleagues [34] |
[55] | This is the same trial as in the study of Hertzman-Miller and colleagues [77] |  |
[35] | Mixed method study explicitly exploring WA | The quantitative component used a closed-question questionnaire to assess the perceptions and experiences of patients |
[36] | Exploring the congruence of patient–practitioner perceptions implicitly measured two features of WA (agreement on goals and tasks) | A patient questionnaire and a practitioner questionnaire |
[49] | The study explicitly measured WA | The Werkalliantievragenlijst [49] |
[78] | Exploring social communication skills of practicing chiropractors implicitly assessed aspects of WA | |
[45] | The study evaluated key aspects of the care provided to patients, and some of the items assessed implicitly WA | The Primary Care Assessment Survey (PCAS) |
[38] | The study explored WA implicitly via examining chiropractors’ communication and interaction patterns | All taped verbal dialogue between the practitioner and his patients was content analysed using the modified Bales method of process analysis [69] |
[79] | The study investigated the attitudes to back pain using a recently developed and validated questionnaire. This implicitly explored two features of WA (agreement on goals and tasks) | The Attitudes to Back Pain Scale for musculoskeletal practitioners (ABS-mp) |
[52] | Specific items in the satisfaction questionnaire implicitly measured WA | Satisfaction questionnaire |
[80] | The study explored the expectations of new patients consulting a chiropractor and to evaluated differences and similarities in expectations between chiropractors and patients. This implicitly measured two features of WA (agreement on goals and tasks) | Questionnaires |
[81] | Explored how attached or connected patients feel toward their chiropractor, which implicitly measured one of WA’s features (bond) | Physician–Patient Attachment Scale (PPAS) [86] |
[41] | The study assessed patient-centred care in patients with chronic health conditions attending chiropractic practice. This study implicitly assessed two features of WA (agreement on goals and tasks) | A modified version of the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC) [87] |