An investigation of Australian osteopaths\u2019 attitudes, skills and utilisation of evidence-based practice: a national cross-sectional survey

Philip Austin,Gary Fryer,Jon Adams,Matthew J. Leach,Oliver P. Thomson,Tobias Sundberg

doi:10.1186/s12913-019-4329-1

Abstract

BackgroundOsteopaths 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.MethodsNational 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).ResultsA 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.ConclusionsOsteopaths 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.

Highlights

Osteopaths are an integral member of the health care team, playing a pivotal role in the provision of care for patients with musculoskeletal disorders
As for the level of service provision, findings from a recent survey of the Australian osteopathy workforce suggest that osteopaths manage approximately 3.9 million patients per year
The majority (48.8%) of respondents had practiced in the field of osteopathy for 11 or more years, with most (66.2%) working 16–45 h a week in clinical practice

Summary

Introduction

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. The extent to which osteopaths engage in evidence-based practice (EBP), in Australia, is not well understood. Osteopaths typically utilise a range of therapeutic interventions (including manual therapy, exercise and lifestyle advice) to manage diverse health complaints, neuro-musculoskeletal conditions are the predominant focus. As for the level of service provision, findings from a recent survey of the Australian osteopathy workforce suggest that osteopaths manage approximately 3.9 million patients per year. With osteopaths working 28 clinical hours per week on average, this equates to an estimated 3 million hours per year of patient care [3]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion