The Italian Osteopathic Practitioners Estimates and RAtes (OPERA) study: How osteopaths work

Abstract

The scope of practice of the osteopathic profession in Italy is underreported. The first part of the present study investigated the Italian osteopaths' profile, focusing on the socio-demographic information and geographical distribution together with the main characteristics of their education. The OPERA-IT study highlighted that the majority of respondents declared to work as sole practitioners (58.4%), while the remaining declared to work as part of a team. Since teamwork and networking are recognized as fundamental aspects of healthcare, the present study aims to compare the osteopathic practice, diagnostic and treatment modalities of osteopaths who work as a sole practitioner and osteopaths who work as part of a team to highlight possible differences. Moreover, patients' characteristics will be presented. The OPERA-IT study population was chosen to provide a representative sample. A web campaign was set up to inform the Italian osteopaths before the beginning of the study. The OPERA IT study used a previously tested questionnaire. The questionnaire was translated into Italian following the World Health Organization recommendation. The questionnaire was composed of 57 items grouped in five sections, namely: socio-demographics, osteopathic education and training, working profile, organization, and management of the clinical practice and patient profile. The survey was delivered online through a dedicated platform. The survey was completed by 4,816 individuals. Osteopaths who work as sole practitioners represented the majority of the sample (n = 2814; 58.4%). Osteopaths who work as part of a team declared to collaborate mostly with physiotherapists (n = 1121; 23.3%), physicians with speciality (n = 1040; 21.6%), and other osteopaths (n = 943; 19.6%). The two groups showed heterogeneous characteristics. Significative differences were observed in all the factors, namely: geographical distribution, age, gender, training, working contract and working place, daily consultations and time for each consultation, fees, and the average waiting period to book an appointment. The principal component analysis

Do manual therapies have a specific autonomic effect? An overview of systematic reviews

“…In clinical practice, most patients seeking manual interventions have chronic diseases [ 16 – 18 , 88 ]. Up to now, scientific literature has described only the short-term effects of MT [ 63 ], so exploring the sustained effects through sessions is crucial.…”

“…Of note, MT consists of applying these techniques and encompasses a person-centred approach based on a diagnostic clinical reasoning process, a conscientious patient/practitioner interaction and paying attention to patient re-education and advice [ 12 ]. The most common complaints treated by MT practitioners are low back and neck pain, sciatica, headache and temporomandibular disorders [ 14 – 18 ]. Recent systematic reviews suggest that the MT approach is clinically effective in treating chronic nonspecific neck pain, low back pain and pelvic girdle pain during pregnancy [ 19 – 21 ].…”

“…Recent systematic reviews suggest that the MT approach is clinically effective in treating chronic nonspecific neck pain, low back pain and pelvic girdle pain during pregnancy [ 19 – 21 ]. Moreover, several clinical studies have shown the effectiveness of MT in a wide variety of clinical conditions, including musculoskeletal pain among different age groups of patients [ 18 , 22 – 27 ].…”

The Austrian Osteopathic Practitioners Estimates and RAtes (OPERA): a cross-sectional survey

“…However, the average number of patients consultations per week decreased from 33 in 2003 [4] through 31.2 in 2011 [5] to 21-25 in 2020. Only Portugal had a similar number of consultations per week; all other European countries surveyed had numbers around 30 [7,[9][10][11]16].…”

“…The Osteopathic Practitioners, Estimates and RAtes (OPERA) project from the COME Collaboration has been developed and de ned as an internationallybased survey project dedicated to pro ling the osteopathic profession across Europe. This OPERA survey has already been conducted in several other European countries (Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain) [7][8][9][10][11], which makes international comparison easier. The survey also includes new information about professional identity and views on the profession, questions that were not included in previous surveys conducted in Austria.…”