Demographic, practice and clinical management characteristics of osteopaths referring to podiatrists: secondary analysis of a nationally representative sample of Australian osteopaths

Michael Fleischmann,Brett Vaughan,Sandra Grace,Adam Bird,Gopi Mcleod,Kylie Fitzgerald

doi:10.1186/s12913-022-07520-6

Abstract

BackgroundInterprofessional care is paramount in contemporary healthcare practice. How different professions interact, and the characteristics of those practitioners who practice in an interprofessional way are rarely described in the literature. The aim of the current work was to identify the demographic, practice and clinical management characteristics of Australian osteopaths who report referring to podiatrists.MethodsThe study was a secondary analysis of data from the Osteopathy Research and Innovation Network (ORION). Inferential statistics were generated to identify statistically significant demographic, practice and clinical management characteristics associated with referrals to podiatrists by Australian osteopaths.ResultsNine-hundred and ninety-two Australian osteopaths responded to the questionnaire. Sending referrals to a podiatrist was reported by 651 participants (65.6%). Female Australian osteopaths were less likely to report referring to podiatrists compared to male osteopaths (OR 0.76, 95%CI 0.59–0.99). Australian osteopaths who reported referring to podiatrists were more likely to report receiving referrals from podiatrists (OR 9.75, 95%CI 6.98–13.61), use orthopaedic testing in patient assessment (OR 7.62, 95%CI 2.82–20.60), and often treat patients with postural disorders (OR 1.71, 95%CI 1.03–2.26), compared to osteopaths who do not refer to podiatrists.ConclusionThis study provides initial evidence for the referral relationship between Australian osteopaths and podiatrists. Further work could explore the nature of these referrals, including the complaints resulting in referral and outcomes of care. This information will be useful to those involved in health policy development and the professions advocating for their role in the wider healthcare system.

Highlights

IntroductionThe characteristics of those practitioners who practice in an interprofessional way are rarely described in the literature
Interprofessional care is paramount in contemporary healthcare practice
Responses were received from all 992 osteopaths who responded to the Osteopathy Research and Innovation Network (ORION) questionnaire question regarding sending referrals to a podiatrist, with no missing data

Summary

Introduction

The characteristics of those practitioners who practice in an interprofessional way are rarely described in the literature. Australian podiatrists work in both public and private health contexts where they provide care for a range of lower limb conditions. Australian osteopaths are predominantly located in private health care settings, where they provide care for a range of musculoskeletal complaints, including those affecting the lower limb [5,6,7]. Both professions are government registered in Australia, with accredited pre-registration programmes [8, 9]. It is not possible to ascertain the practice location (public versus private) from this registration data; other works suggest that in Australia 90% of osteopaths [5] and approximately 72% of podiatrists [12] are located in private practice

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