A short cut review was carried out to establish whether osteopathy or chiropractic treatments improve outcome in patients with neck sprain. Altogether 206 papers were found using the reported search, of which nine presented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these best papers are tabulated. A clinical bottom line is stated (+info)
The national cholesterol education program adult treatment panel ill guidelines.
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Coronary heart disease (CHD) remains the leading cause of death in the United States with more than 40% of all deaths each year directly attributed to the disease. Current evidence suggests that early identification and aggressive modification of risk factors offer the most promising approach to reducing the burden of CHD. Dyslipidemia has been identified as the primary risk factor leading to the development of CHD. It is estimated that nearly 65 million Americans require some form of lipid-modification therapy. The National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) set of guidelines released in May 2001 provides physicians with evidence-based recommendations on the classification, diagnosis, and treatment of lipid disorders. New features of the guidelines include a scoring system for calculating CHD risk, as well as the identification of CHD risk equivalents, lower treatment target goals, and an emphasis on conditions conferring a higher risk for CHD, such as the metabolic syndrome. The ATP III emphasis on risk assessment substantially increases the number of patients considered at risk for CHD and will expand the number eligible for lifestyle and drug interventions. This article highlights the new recommendations and reviews the impact of ATP III on osteopathic physicians. (+info)
Results of a survey of inaugural class graduates of a college of osteopathic medicine.
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The purpose of this study was to determine where the graduates of an inaugural class of a college of osteopathic medicine came from, what influenced their school selection, how their osteopathic medical school experience affected them, and how they chose what and where they would study after graduation as well as where they would practice. These data have significant implications for the osteopathic profession and its future recruitment efforts into the profession and into its postgraduate programs. (+info)
Use of osteopathic manipulative treatment by Ohio osteopathic physicians in various specialties.
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The authors mailed a survey designed to determine the use of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) to the 2,318 active osteopathic physicians registered with the Ohio Osteopathic Association; 871 responses were received, for a response rate of 38%. Approximately 75% of the respondents had not or had rarely used OMT: 44% of these respondents did not use any OMT and 31% reported treating fewer than 10 patients with OMT during the week before the survey. Approximately 25% of the surveyed osteopathic physicians treated more than 10 patients with OMT, and about 6% of these treated more than 30 patients with OMT. Respondents represented 40 specialty disciplines. All of the osteopathic physicians in 17 specialties reported no OMT use, osteopathic physicians in 9 specialties reported using OMT for fewer than 10 patients during the previous week, and osteopathic physicians in 9 specialties reported using OMT for more than 10 patients during the previous week. Of the somatic dysfunctions listed in the survey, low back disorders were treated with OMT most often. Few osteopathic specialists used OMT for patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The data suggest that a great opportunity exists to increase the use of OMT by osteopathic physicians, especially those who are specialists. (+info)
Characteristics of physicians disciplined by the State Medical Board of Ohio.
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Although physicians have been disciplined for a variety of offenses by state medical boards across the United States, limited information is available about the characteristics of these physicians. To assess the characteristics of, offenses committed by, and resulting disciplinary actions taken against a consecutive series of disciplined physicians in the state of Ohio, the authors conducted a case-control study of all 308 physicians publicly disciplined by the State Medical Board of Ohio (SMBO) from January 1997 to June 1999. Subjects were matched with two groups of control physicians--one matched by location only, and the second matched for location, gender, practice type, and self-designated specialty. The main outcomes measured were disciplinary actions, offenses leading to state medical board actions, and the characteristics of disciplined physicians. Of 340 physicians disciplined during these 30 months (approximately 0.37% per year), 308 committed 477 offenses requiring 409 actions by the SMBO. The most common offenses were impairment due to alcohol and/or drug use (21%), inappropriate prescribing or drug possession (14%), previous state actions (15%), negligence or incompetence (7%), and drug-related charges (7%). Although offenders were significantly less likely to be women (P < .05; odds ratio [OR], 0.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.28-0.75), the authors found no difference in the severity of disciplinary action taken against offenders by gender (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 0.54-2.82) or by type of medical training, ie, between osteopathic physicians and allopathic physicians (OR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.39-1.26). Compared with controls matched for location, gender, practice type, and self-designated specialty, offenders were significantly less likely to be board certified (OR, 0.65; CI, 0.46-0.92) and significantly more likely to have been in practice 20 or fewer years (OR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.08-2.13). Disciplinary actions in Ohio were more frequent, more severe, and more often in response to impairment due to alcohol and/or drug use and previous state actions than previously reported. No difference in the severity of disciplinary action was noted between men and women or between osteopathic and allopathic physicians. (+info)
Validity and reliability of the Osteopathic Survey of Health Care in America (OSTEOSURV).
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The osteopathic medical profession has lacked research instruments to measure and characterize the use of osteopathic physicians and to assess public awareness and perceptions of osteopathic medicine. In the 1990s, the Osteopathic Survey of Health Care in America (OSTEOSURV) was developed to fill this void. Data from OSTEOSURV-I and OSTEOSURV-II, random national telephone surveys administered during 1998 and 2000, respectively, were used to test the validity and reliability of OSTEOSURV as a longitudinal survey instrument for osteopathic medicine. A total of 12 survey items were found to contribute to the "Perceptions of osteopathic medicine" construct. Within this construct, an osteopathic medicine scale emerged that consists of three distinct dimensions termed conventional medicine, manual medicine, and somato/visceral medicine. (+info)
Bibliotherapy: the therapeutic use of didactic and literary texts in treatment, diagnosis, prevention, and training.
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The term bibliotherapy has been defined by Russell and Shrodes as "a process of dynamic interaction between the personality of the reader and literature--an interaction which may be used for personality assessment, adjustment, and growth." In the clinical setting, the dynamics that promote change in a patient-reader can include identification, projection, introjection, catharsis, and insight. Clinicians may use bibliotherapy as a tool for patient treatment, medical diagnosis, and the prevention of illness related to psychosocial dysfunction, allowing for gradual and mutual insight into patient complaints over time. Bibliotherapy may display efficacy on intellectual, psychosocial, interpersonal, emotional, and behavioral levels. The author identifies two basic types of resources that are useful to clinicians administering bibliotherapy: didactic texts, which are instructive, and imaginative literature, which can be a literary text, biography, or autobiography and fosters an imaginative response from the patient-reader. The author identifies the advantages and risks of using bibliotherapy and explores its possible applications in osteopathic medical education, encouraging osteopathic medical educators to familiarize themselves with this treatment modality. (+info)
Research at US colleges of osteopathic medicine: a decade of growth.
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Although research is a critical component of academic medicine, it has not been a significant component of osteopathic medicine. For years, leaders in the osteopathic medical profession have called for increased research in osteopathic medical schools. The need for cost-effective clinical practice leading to improved clinical outcomes creates a necessity for conducting well-designed clinical outcomes research related to osteopathic practice. The authors assess the growth in research at osteopathic academic medical centers from 1989-1999. The amounts of extramural funding at each school, sources of funding, types of research funded, departments funded, and investigators' degree types are also assessed. During the 10 years analyzed, total research funding increased 37%. Twenty-five percent of the grants and 55% of the funding to colleges of osteopathic medicine were from the National Institutes of Health. Most (63%) grants were awarded to PhD faculty. Most research was conducted in the basic biomedical sciences. Clinical research related to osteopathic practices appears to be a relatively minor component of research at osteopathic medical centers. (+info)