Our 2021 Conference will run over two half days on 22nd and 23rd January 2021. It will feature a series of short presentations with time for Q&A after each presentation. Delegates are welcome to drop in and out as they wish and will also have access to the recorded presentations afterwards.
Early-bird price of £60 for both days is available until 7th January 2021. You can also attend for just one day if you prefer, at a discounted price.
Talks will run in batches of four 20-minute slots (10-minute presentation, 5 minutes for questions and 5 minutes turn around for logging presenters in and out). Our conference will show-case the work and forward thinking of the profession.
Speakers and presentations will include:
Dr Hilary Abbey – Using research evidence to develop effective, psychologically informed osteopathic care for patients with persistent pain. Clinical practice is enhanced when osteopaths can create the collaborative therapeutic alliances and facilitative communication tools that enable patients to develop more active coping strategies and the willingness to re-engage with physical activities and social roles that they find meaningful.
Rebecca Fassam / Dr Phil Bright – An investigation into the prevalence of the impostor phenomenon amongst UK registered Osteopaths.
There is a high proportion of reporting of impostor phenomenon within the selection of osteopaths that engaged with the study. The implications for practice and practitioners’ well-being deserve further consideration.
Reno Pelekanou – An exploration osteopaths’ understanding and attitudes towards the construct of catastrophising in patients
Practitioners should avoid using psychosocial constructs, such as catastrophising, as judgemental labels and instead encourage patients to focus on their unique drivers of catastrophising, within the context of the patient’s story. This study suggests that mitigating any judgment of patients with complex psychosocial presentations is partly driven by education and experience, but largely through ongoing self-reflection.
Dr Julie Ellwood – Effectiveness of common interventions for the treatment of infantile colic, positional plagiocephaly and congenital muscular torticollis. Manual therapy compares with other common treatments for infantile colic and congenital muscular torticollis but not for positional plagiocephaly, however the role of the osteopath has utility in parent education and parenting self-efficacy.
Prof Dawn Carnes – Crying Unsettled and disTressed Infants Effectiveness Study of osteopathic care (CUTIES trial): Pragmatic randomised superiority trial. The evidence of effectiveness for osteopathic care and infantile colic is promising but not strong. Here we describe and discuss the logistics of doing a randomised controlled trial in the field.
Rosalind Ward – Baby Check Bath (SCCO) research development and paediatric/ post-natal care. Strong and effective research partnerships can enhance paediatric and postnatal care. Studying the process of the intervention and effect of osteopathic treatment on the health of the family can add value to capturing patient outcomes.
Dr Stacey Clift – GOsC CPD Implementation and Evaluation. Understanding changing patterns of CPD over time, measured through a range of sources of data including longitudinal data, could help to enhance practice inform the shape of practice and CPD in the future.
Dr Phil Bright – Supervising action at a distance – improving the quality of entanglement with research for undergraduate osteopaths through a virtual noticeboard. Supervisory research support for students can be problematic. The expectations around contact and guidance can be conflicting and increasing demand on academics’ time and resources can limit project progress. The use of a virtual noticeboard to improve communication pathways can facilitate better student and supervisor working relationships
Kabir Kareem – Osteopathic education: looking forward. Osteopathic education is the foundation of the future of the profession. Delegates will learn more about contemporary osteopathic education and how standards are changing to cope with our current contexts and how we are assuring these.
Helena Bridge – Heading into trouble? Could an e-learning programme on headache safety and diagnosis change knowledge and confidence in osteopaths who are about to graduate? Headaches create a massive burden on society and osteopaths may be able to play a part in reducing this burden. A short e-learning course on headache screening and diagnosis aims to serve the UK osteopathy profession in updating its approach to safety and diagnosis within the field of headaches through provision of a low-cost e-learning programme.
Dr Jerry Draper-Rodi – Remote consultations: a guide on good clinical practice. Due to the pandemic, interest in remote consultations has exploded since March 2020. Little guidance regarding best practice and legal aspects was available. After lockdown, osteopaths were required to favour remote consultations and offer face-to-face when remote consultations were not appropriate. Learning how to meet Osteopathic Professional Standards whilst being effective during remote consultations is paramount.
Dr Oliver Thompson – Shifting conversations – Language and communication strategies for osteopaths. An appreciation of language when talking with, treating and examining patients experiencing back pain is important. Critically reflecting on your language used in your clinical practice, will help you to Introduce strategies to communicate helpful messages regarding low back pain which can contribute to enhanced patient engagement.
Rachel Heatley – Patient involvement in the development of osteopathic regulation, standards and care. The patient voice has been erased from clinical practice during the coronavirus pandemic. Patients’ voices should be at the heart of all discussions in osteopathy whether research, education or clinical practice. Practical ways of sharing include co-production with patients.
Meghan Reed – “Who am I to disagree?” A qualitative study of how patients interpret the consent process. Patient experiences of consent highlighted a perceived hierarchical power-divide between patient and practitioner. Patient experiences of consent was unified through the core theme of situational disempowerment, highlighting passivity in the consent process, theorised to be related to: commitment to symptom resolution, lack of knowledge and efforts to avoid friction in the appointment.
Steve Vogel – An overview of a new framework to help identify and manage vascular pathologies of the neck in the context of manual therapy. This framework could enhance clinical reasoning when considering vasculogenic presentations of head and neck pain.
Devan Rajendran – The validity of lumbo-pelvic landmark palpation by manual practitioners: a systematic review. The use of lumbo-pelvic landmark palpation does not reach clinically acceptable levels of validity. Lumbo-pelvic landmark identification may be irrelevant to the diagnosis and management of non-specific LBP. Aligning manual therapy and non-specific LBP management with practice guidelines requires a shift away from over-reliance on landmark palpation.
Steve Vogel – Early recognition of Cauda Equina Syndrome – A framework for assessment and referral for primary care. A framework of reference can help to enhance early recognition of Cauda Equina Syndrome.
Lara Herrera Quintela / Dr Phil Bright – Exploring the Knowledge, Assessment and Management of Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders in Adults among Osteopaths in the UK. Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders and hypermobility type Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome EDS are the most common Joint Hypermobility Related Conditions. Previous research has shown lack of knowledge, assessment and management of these conditions among physiotherapists in the UK. This study suggests a similar level of awareness among UK registered osteopaths.
David Hohenschurz-Schmidt – What do Clinical Trials actually tell us? Current challenges of clinical trial design in physical Interventions and possible ways forward. The ability to understand strengths and weaknesses of clinical trials allows clinicians to make better-informed judgements about intervention efficacy and effectiveness.
Austin Plunkett – How might Artificial Intelligence be incorporated into osteopathic care. AI could have a potential role in osteopathic care, we need to reflect on its utility, our own and our patients’ expectations, its implementation and acceptability, and any ethical issues surrounding its use.
Dr Carol Fawkes – Contributing to the osteopathic evidence base : being a clinical researcher. Osteopaths can be involved in clinical research, it’s good for business and clinical reputation. Collecting patient reported outcomes and reflecting on clinical audit can help optimise patient care.