Coronavirus Message

FR: ACBSP BOD
RE: COVID-19

The ACBSP™ wishes to help keep you informed during the rapidly changing COVID-19 (coronavirus) situation. Restrictions on social gatherings are changing daily. We understand this will generate many questions and concerns about ACBSP examinations, the 2020 symposium, as well as the ACBSP position on COVID-19.

There are many things we need to consider, and we are working on these details. Your patience is greatly appreciated while we negotiate the rapidly changing landscape of COVID-19.

As of March 18th, the ACBSP has canceled the ACBSP Sports Science Symposium in Portland to comply with State and Federal social distancing rules. The ACBSP will be providing additional information regarding testing plans in the immediate near future.

The ACBSP believes that the cares our certificants provide are valuable and we owe it to our patients to consider the specific individual circumstances for each patient and clinician regarding the provisions of those cares. The ACBSP is aware of the threat this virus poses to our communities and our Nation. The best resources for clinical guidelines regarding COVID-19 are from the CDC and your State Department of Health. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/hcp/index.html

We recommend that doctors of chiropractic support emergency infectious disease control measures by following your regional protocols to minimize the risk of viral spread through chiropractic clinical care in your offices.

 Examples of reasonable infectious disease procedures include:

  • Take the temperature of every patient upon arrival and ask about cough, SOB, fever and

travel. If a patient is found to have an elevated temperature and a cough or SOB, they should be provided with instructions on how to obtain appropriate treatment. We suggest screening and documenting your preventative procedures for you and your staff also.

  • Limit patient encounters for nonessential care. For patients scheduled for appointments in the upcoming weeks, we encourage you to contact your patients and discuss the best pathway for their specific healthcare needs. Elderly individuals, or individuals with compromised or complicated health issues may be best served by staying in their homes. In some cases, it may be the best course of action to suspend clinical services at your
  • Update and maintain your clinical hygiene standards to ensure that you, your staff, patients and the equipment/tables are properly sanitized after every patient. Addressing the public health guidelines related to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and the proper management of infectious disease is important. Remember the virus is thought to remain viable for 72 hours on surfaces like stainless steel and plastic. https://osha.gov/SLTC/personalprotectiveequipment/
  • Wash your hands with soap and water for at least twenty seconds between patient
  • Support social distancing by slowing the pace of your practice down, if you remain open, to minimize contact between patients and increase the spacing between seating in your lobby. https://ncmic.com/learning-center/articles/coronavirus/resources/helpful-information-to- share-with-patients/

COVID-19 infected individuals can shed a live virus for days before and after they have symptoms. As you know, the risks of COVID-19 are communal. For many of us, contracting COVID-19 would not be worse than suffering a bad cold. However, the spread of the disease typically moves from healthy individuals to the more vulnerable people among us. Following State and CDC COVID-19 protocols give us the best balance between taking care of our patients and doing what is right for the community.

As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions or concerns.

On behalf of the ACBSP,

William Moreau DC, DACBSP® FACSM
ACBSP President