Research was centered on low back pain and suggested that benefits from OMT could be attained with less medication, fewer referrals to specialists, and earlier and improved function. Osteopathic manipulative treatment was the most robust theme. Those areas in which the research demonstrated a difference can be coalesced into 4 themes: OMT, practice characteristics, innovation and educational outcomes, and other outcomes. Fewer than 15 of these citations were original research presenting evidence-based outcomes demonstrating osteopathic medicine's unique, distinguishing, and definitive contributions. Of these citations, many did not align with the topic, and those that did were predominately opinion pieces (eg, editorials, letters to the editor). 12 Osteopathic Distinction, Uniqueness, and Distinguishing CharacteristicsĪ search on the The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association ( JAOA) website for articles published between 1978 to July 2016 that demonstrate distinguishing characteristics, uniqueness, or distinctiveness of the osteopathic medical profession uncovered 479 citations.
11 This expansion has led to arguably the most significant change: an agreement between the ACGME, the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine to create a single accreditation system for all graduate medical education (GME) programs. Over the past decade, the number of osteopathic medical students has nearly doubled to more than 26,000 with 5323 graduating in 2015, 10 and the number of DOs and students now exceeds 129,000. Fewer osteopathic physicians (ie, DOs) use palpation and OMT, allopathic physicians (ie, MDs) make up a notable percentage of faculty at colleges of osteopathic medicine (COMs), and DO graduates increasingly choose Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) residency programs. 2- 4Īs time progresses, the conceptual difference between the osteopathic and allopathic professions continues to blur. 2- 4 During the past half century, the continued convergence of allopathic and osteopathic medicine has resulted in phrases such as “separate but equal” and “parallel and distinctive” to describe conceptual differences. Yet throughout its existence, there remains a profession-wide emphasis on community-based and primary care aligned with a “holistic” patient care approach enveloped within an overarching osteopathic philosophy. 2- 4 However, when full practice privileges were granted to the profession, there was a shift from OMT toward a more comprehensive focus embracing the full scope of diagnostic and therapeutic modalities.
In the early years, the profession's distinction revolved around osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT). Since the inception of the osteopathic medical profession, there has been a continued internal dialogue within its ranks-and to a lesser extent an external dialogue with the public-as to its unique, distinctive, and distinguishing role within the US health care system.
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