What Patients Really Want: The Case for Diversity-Sensitive Care
We often talk about alignment in chiropractic. But are we aligned with what our patients actually want and need from us? Beyond good adjustments, beyond our philosophy, beyond our “why,” patients have a perspective on care that we rarely ask for directly.
A recent 2024 systematic review in the International Journal for Equity in Health compiled data from 34 studies across the U.S., Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to answer a simple but critical question:
What makes patients feel respected, understood, and safe in their care?
What patients said has big implications for us as chiropractors. It’s about adjusting how we show up for the people on our tables.
The Three Components of Diversity-Sensitive Care
Patient-Centered Care is the Baseline (and we’re still falling short)
Before cultural differences even come into play, patients want the basics:
To be heard and believed: Many patients report feeling dismissed or doubted. We’ve all had someone come in with a story of being ignored elsewhere. What if we made listening our superpower?
Shared decision-making: They don’t want a treatment plan handed to them like a prescription, they want a conversation. Ask questions, collaborate on care goals, and respect their autonomy.
Clear, jargon-free communication: Explaining what we do is core to chiropractic. But patients value when we slow down, use plain language, and make sure they understand why we’re doing what we’re doing.
Even something as simple as remembering a patient’s name, referencing their goals from last visit, or showing genuine empathy builds trust. These seem obvious, but research shows too many patients still feel unseen. That should challenge all of us.
2. Care That Reflects Culture & Context
Once the basics are there, diversity-sensitive care takes it further. This is where we move beyond a one-size-fits-all approach and start asking:
How does this person’s cultural background, religion, or life circumstances affect their health choices?
Are there language barriers, and am I doing anything to bridge them (interpreters, translated materials, even a simple greeting in their language)?
Am I aware of and respectful toward religious practices or modesty concerns (like fasting schedules, prayer times, or gender preferences during exams)?
Do I acknowledge the family or community networks that influence their health decisions?
The review found patients deeply value when providers make small but intentional efforts to connect with their lived experiences. That could mean working with doulas for a perinatal patient, showing up at community events, or having inclusive visuals in your office. You don’t need to know everything about every culture, but curiosity, humility, and allyship goes a long way.
For many of us serving Black and minority communities, this hits home. I created the ChiroJunky Collective because patients kept telling me they’d never seen a Black chiropractor before. Representation matters, and so does a willingness to honor patients’ stories even if their background is different from ours.
3. Representation Builds Trust (But Allyship Works Too)
The third theme: when patients feel unseen or discriminated against, many seek out providers who share their language, ethnicity, or gender. Shared identity can build immediate trust and safety. For example:
Patients often report feeling more comfortable discussing sensitive issues with a provider of the same gender.
Language concordance improves understanding and satisfaction.
Representation reduces barriers for marginalized communities.
But the review also shows that representation is not the only answer. Mutual respect, cultural humility, and true patient-centeredness can bridge differences. Patients don’t need you to be them. They need you to see them.
This is a challenge for chiropractic as a profession. We have a diversity gap that must be addressed through mentorship, visibility, and intentional recruitment of underrepresented groups into chiropractic schools. But we can also make changes right now, in our individual offices, by leading with humility and allyship.
Why This Matters for Chiropractic’s Future
Let’s keep it real, our profession loves to talk about whole-body wellness and the nervous system’s role in health. But if our offices don’t feel safe and inclusive for everyone who walks through the door, we’re missing the mark.
Health disparities are not new, but COVID-19 made them harder to ignore. Communities already disadvantaged by racism, language barriers, and lack of access suffered worse outcomes. Chiropractic should be part of the solution. We’re uniquely positioned to deliver relational, preventive, whole-person care. But only if we’re willing to adapt.
The review shows patients want more than clinical skill, they want relational skill. They want cultural awareness, humility, and care that fits their lives. And that starts with us.
Do we know how to adjust care plans to fit cultural needs?
Are we training our teams on communication and humility, not just technique?
Are we making our spaces physically and visually inclusive?
If we don’t ask these questions, someone else will and patients will go where they feel seen.
Practical Takeaways for Your Office
Here’s what you can start doing today:
Audit your patient experience: Do patients feel heard? Are you truly sharing decisions, or just presenting plans?
Look at your space: Who’s represented on your walls, brochures, and social media? Would someone from a marginalized background see themselves reflected?
Train your staff: Teach basic communication strategies for language barriers (interpreters, translated instructions). Review modesty and cultural considerations.
Respect Goes Both Ways: Diversity-sensitive care also means teaching patients to respect diverse staff. Use signage, welcome scripts, and your own modeling to set that expectation. Protect your team, and you’ll create a clinic culture where everyone feels safe and valued.
Build community connections: Partner with doulas, churches, barbershops, cultural centers. Representation outside your four walls matters.
Join or support diversity initiatives: Like the ChiroJunky Collective, ABCA, Diversify Chiropractic. These networks make us all better.
Diversity-sensitive care isn’t a “nice-to-have.” It’s how we grow chiropractic, close health gaps, and make our care truly holistic.
That’s why I created the ChiroJunky Collective to increase representation, build networks, and educate chiropractors who want to serve more inclusively. And it’s why we host Culture & Chiropractic III on September 20, 2025, bringing providers, students, and community together for conversations that change lives.
If you’re a chiropractor who believes in this mission, here’s how you can join us:
Join the ChiroJunky Collective directory so patients can find you.
RSVP for Culture & Chiropractic III (Sept. 20, 2025) to learn and connect.
Sponsor or collaborate to help us expand this movement nationally (email me: magen@drmagenhenry.com).
Patients deserve care that honors their whole story. As a profession, we can deliver. But only if we’re willing to adjust not just spines, but the culture of care.
Because the culture is health. And we’ve got their backs.
Citation: Lauwers, E. D. L., Vandecasteele, R., McMahon, M., De Maesschalck, S., & Willems, S. (2024). The patient perspective on diversity-sensitive care: A systematic review. International Journal for Equity in Health, 23(117). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-024-02189-1