Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) questionnaires are increasingly being used across the whole of healthcare as an acceptable way of quickly and easily recording a patient’s own opinion of the effect of their treatment. Standardised and reliable, PROMs allows individual osteopaths to collect data on their practice and compare it to a national benchmark. Read more

In 2009, osteopaths in private practice throughout the UK were invited to use a Standardised Data Collection (SDC) tool so the profession could profile day-to-day osteopathic practice. NCOR developed this tool in collaboration with practising osteopaths, to collect data about patients and osteopathic practice in a systematic and robust manner. Read more

NCOR and the iO are pleased to be able to congratulate Carol Fawkes, who has successfully defended her doctoral thesis in May this year. Carol is NCOR’s senior research officer, contributing greatly to the research development for the profession, and her thesis is the culmination of over three years’ continuous study focusing on the use of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) in clinical osteopathic practice. Read more

It is well known that there is a significant delay before findings from primary research reaches clinical practice. Several authors estimate that the average delay to be around 17 years (Morris, Wooding & Grant, 2011). Such delays are common across all healthcare disciplines, and osteopathy is unlikely to be an exception. Read more

“Healthcare professionals are a bit behind the times in asking patients what they think” — quote from a patient via NCOR’s PROMS research.

Over the last few issues of Osteopathy Today, we have reported that the way in which osteopaths conduct their CPD is changing. Read more

Many osteopaths are often reluctant to seek feedback concerning their practice, often assuming that patients do not have the time or the inclination to complete questionnaires. Carol Fawkes from NCOR, shares research from the patient’s perspective that shows that the opposite is more likely to the case. Read more

NCOR’s Austin Plunkett (iO Council member) provides OT with an update on the progress of their systematic review on the role of manual therapy in paediatric care. The intention is to produce a detailed review for publication which will feature an at-a-glance summary of findings that clinicians will find informative in their daily practice. Read more