Challenges and opportunities for Australian osteopathy: A qualitative study of the perceptions of registered osteopaths

Blaich, Raymond; Steel, Amie; Clark, Daniel A.; Adams, Jon

doi:10.1016/j.ijosm.2018.10.004

Cited by 18 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 28 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Similarly, findings from qualitative research have highlighted tensions between traditional osteopathic theory and EBP amongst UK osteopaths [12]; whereby knowledge, theory and opinion gathered from prominent individual ‘experts’ throughout osteopathy’s development from the 1800s frequently took precedence over external research evidence when making clinical decisions [25, 26]. Further qualitative research involving Australian osteopaths has also identified a perceived fear among clinicians that EBP will diminish or undermine the application of traditional osteopathic theory that is perceived to be unique to the profession [10]. In the context of this current study, these findings are important as some professional groups in Australia, specifically GPs, perceive there to be a lack of research evidence supporting osteopathic care [27, 28]; as gatekeepers of secondary and tertiary health care, GP (and other health provider) perceptions may represent a legitimate barrier to patient referral for publicly-funded osteopathy services in Australia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An investigation of Australian osteopaths’ attitudes, skills and utilisation of evidence-based practice: a national cross-sectional survey

Leach

Sundberg

Fryer

et al. 2019

BMC Health Serv Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Osteopaths are an integral member of the health care team, playing a pivotal role in the provision of care for patients with musculoskeletal disorders. Osteopaths, like other health care providers, are under increasing pressure to deliver evidence-based health care and to improve patient outcomes. However, the extent to which osteopaths engage in evidence-based practice (EBP), particularly in Australia, is not well understood. This study therefore set out to investigate the attitudes, skills and use of EBP, and perceived barriers and enablers of EBP uptake, among osteopaths practicing in Australia. Methods National cross-sectional survey of Australian registered osteopaths. Eligible participants were invited by email and other digital media recruitment strategies to complete the online Evidence-Based Practice Attitude and Utilisation Survey (EBASE). Results A total of 332 osteopaths completed the survey. The demographic characteristics of respondents were generally consistent with the characteristics of the Australian osteopathy workforce. The respondents were mostly favourable of EBP, with the majority agreeing or strongly agreeing that EBP assists in making decisions about patient care (86.7%) and improves the quality of patient care (75.6%). While most respondents (88.3%) had some training in EBP, most reported a moderate level of perceived skill in EBP. The majority of respondents engaged infrequently (0–5 times) in EBP activities within the last month, and most indicated that a very small or small proportion of their clinical practice was based on clinical research evidence. Leading barriers to the uptake of EBP were lack of time and lack of clinical evidence in osteopathy. Key enablers of EBP uptake were access to the internet and online databases at work, and access to full-text articles and EBP education materials. Conclusions Osteopaths participating in the survey were largely supportive of evidence-based practice, yet engaged infrequently in EBP activities. An important next step in this research is to identify suitable strategies that effectively improve EBP uptake in osteopathy, and perchance, improve patient outcomes.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An investigation of Australian osteopaths’ attitudes, skills and utilisation of evidence-based practice: a national cross-sectional survey

Leach

Sundberg

Fryer

et al. 2019

BMC Health Serv Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This phenomenon is associated with the development and attention to EBP, generally more advanced in countries where osteopathy is fully recognised [ 55 , 56 , 57 ]. However, the boundaries imposed by university education may diminish the transmission of osteopathic tradition and principles in the skills of professionals [ 58 ]. This concern has, for example, led to a review of undergraduate education in the United States of America in order to recover professional characterisation [ 59 , 60 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beliefs and Use of Palpatory Findings in Osteopathic Clinical Practice: A Qualitative Descriptive Study among Italian Osteopaths

Bergna¹,

Galli²,

Todisco³

et al. 2022

Healthcare

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Italian government has started the regulatory process of osteopathy to include it among the healthcare professions mentioning terms, such as “perceptual palpation” and “somatic dysfunction” within the professional profile. ‘Palpatory findings’ are one of the multidimensional aspects that can inform osteopathic clinical reasoning. The non-regulated educational system has led to heterogenic professionals working in Italy, thus, the aim of this study was to investigate how Italian experts use palpatory findings in their clinical practice. A total of 12 experts were selected to participate in four virtual focus groups. A qualitative inductive approach with a constructivist paradigm was chosen to describe the results. The themes that emerged were: osteopathic identity; evaluation; osteopathic diagnosis; and sharing with different recipients. Participants agreed on the peculiarity and distinctiveness of osteopathic palpation, but there was some disagreement on the clinical significance of the findings, highlighting a complex multidimensional approach to diagnosis and treatment. The results seem to reflect the history of the profession in Italy, which has evolved quickly, leading professionals to seek new paradigms blending tradition and scientific evidence. The authors suggest further investigation to verify the state of art among osteopaths not involved in research or a broader consensus of the results.

show abstract

“…Only three papers had specific OPI focus [23,24,48], with fourteen more mentioning OPI in passing [66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79]. Others indicated individual or A.R.…”

Section: Methodological and Content Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…• Principles & philosophy as central to osteopathy [67] • The validity of osteopathic principles provokes strong feelings within the osteopathic profession with some regarding them as the essence of professional identity • Lack of clear definition of osteopathic principles • Anecdotal evidence is inadequate for principles that are supposed to guide professional practice • Use in clinical reasoning may result in rejection of scientific evidence [69] • Participants at one OEI possess a strong sense of professional identity and an unshaking belief in the precedence of osteopathy and that practice is informed by their osteopathic principles [71] • Osteopathic principles create barrier for integration of osteopathy into healthcare [72] Research evidence…”

Section: Observation Referencementioning

confidence: 99%

Professional identity in osteopathy: A scoping review of peer-reviewed primary osteopathic research

Phillips¹

2022

International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Challenges and opportunities for Australian osteopathy: A qualitative study of the perceptions of registered osteopaths

Cited by 18 publications

References 28 publications

An investigation of Australian osteopaths’ attitudes, skills and utilisation of evidence-based practice: a national cross-sectional survey

An investigation of Australian osteopaths’ attitudes, skills and utilisation of evidence-based practice: a national cross-sectional survey

Beliefs and Use of Palpatory Findings in Osteopathic Clinical Practice: A Qualitative Descriptive Study among Italian Osteopaths

Professional identity in osteopathy: A scoping review of peer-reviewed primary osteopathic research

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About