The European Council on Chiropractic Education identification of critical standards to accredit chiropractic programs: a qualitative study and thematic analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The objectives for this project were to: (1) identify and agree upon "critical standards" that must be "fully" or "substantially compliant" for a maximum 8-year reaccreditation, (2) compare recent compliance for each critical standard for all accredited programs, and (3) identify which standards have lower compliance levels compared to others.
METHODS: This qualitative study uses thematic analysis. The 37 European Council on Chiropractic Education (ECCE) standards were assessed by the Quality Assurance Committee (QAC) to identify "critical standards" requiring "fully" or "substantially compliant" ratings for the maximum 8-year accreditation time period. These were approved by the entire ECCE. A table identifying specific criteria for each compliance level then was created. The most recent evaluation reports for all accredited programs were reviewed to record compliance levels for each critical standard and identify the number falling below the status of "substantially compliant". Specific standards with the highest proportion falling below "substantially compliant" also were identified.
RESULTS: Eighteen of 37 standards were deemed critical. Two of 10 accredited programs had 0 "critical standards" below "substantially compliant" and two programs had three below this level. The most common standard to fall below "substantially compliant" was "faculty recruitment" with three programs (30%) at "partially compliant."
CONCLUSION: Identification and approval of "critical standards" requiring at least substantial compliance and the compliance criteria table facilitate implementation of the flexible 8-year reaccreditation period, providing the flexibility needed to work collaboratively with national accrediting agencies. "Faculty recruitment" standard had the highest percentage of programs rated as "partially" compliant.