The Coroner in South Australia has recently handed down his findings in relation to the death of Mr James Halloran who at the time was being treated by a registered chiropractor.

The Coroner has made specific recommendations for action to be taken by the Chiropractic and Osteopathy Board of South Australia, which the Board has endorsed as follows:

(1) That the Chiropractic and Osteopathy Board of SA consider implementing and enforcing a requirement that chiropractors have at their disposal the necessary measures, skills and equipment to deliver effective first aid and resuscitation in the event of a cardio respiratory arrest of a patient including the following:

  i.  CPR skills, with regular re-certification

  ii.  The employment of a personal assistant with CPR skills, especially in cases of sight impaired practitioners

  iii.  The installation of automatic defibrillating equipment within a chiropractic clinic

  iv.  The installation of oxygen delivery equipment within a chiropractic clinic

  v.  The implementation of a crisis management plan that would describe the necessary action to be taken in an emergency including the cardio respiratory arrest of a patient

(2) That the Chiropractic and Osteopathy Board of SA instruct registered and practising chiropractors immediately to call for the assistance of the South Australian Ambulance Service in the event of a patient losing consciousness and responsiveness while undergoing chiropractic treatment.

Full details of the findings can be found at http://www.courts.sa.gov.au/courts/coroner/findings/content.html

Practitioners may be found guilty of unprofessional conduct if they do not:

 a)  Implement a crisis management plan describing procedures to be taken in the case of an emergency including the cardio respiratory arrest of a patient.

 b)  Immediately call for the assistance of the SA Ambulance Service in the event of a patient losing consciousness and responsiveness while undergoing treatment.

It is noted that the Board has already made it a professional development requirement to hold a current CPR certificate and that the Chiropractic Board of Australia from 1 July 2010 will also require practitioners to hold a Senior First Aid Certificate or equivalent (which includes CPR).

The Board also strongly recommends that practitioners should:

 i) Ensure that non professional staff have CPR training.

 ii)  Assess the need for installation of automatic defibrillation equipment and oxygen delivery equipment within their practice.