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Patients' expectations of private osteopathic care in the UK: A national survey of patients
Leach, J. M. C. [6]
Mandy, A. [2]
Cross, V. [3]
Fawkes, C. A. [8]
Moore, A. P. [17]

Journal: International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine Date: 2013/03, 16(1):Pages: e17-e18. doi: Subito , type of study: cross sectional study

Full text    (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1746068913000114)

Keywords:

patients expectation [2]
osteopathic care [14]
UK [80]
cross sectional study [597]

Abstract:

Background Patients' expectations of osteopathic care have been little researched. This quantitative study built on an extensive review of the literature relating to expectations in primary and musculoskeletal care, and on the findings of a prior qualitative study involving focus groups exploring the expectations of osteopathic patients. The aim of the project was to quantify the most important expectations of patients in private UK osteopathic practices, and the extent to which those expectations were met or unmet. Methods The design of the study involved development of a questionnaire about patients' expectations of osteopathic care, which was then used for a national patient survey. A random sample of 800 registered osteopaths in private practice across the UK was asked to invite a systematic sample of patients to take part, by completing the questionnaire. Patients were asked to post completed questionnaires to the researchers for analysis. The main outcome measures assessed patients' expectation (the percentage of positive responses for each aspect of expectation) and unmet expectation (computed from the proportion responding that “it did not happen”). Results 1649 sets of patient data were included in the analysis. Thirty five (69%) of the 51 aspects of expectation were deemed positively important; listening, respect and information-giving by their osteopath ranked highest. Only 11 expectations were unmet to an unacceptable degree. The expectations most often unmet were “to be made aware that there was a complaints procedure”, “to find it difficult to pay for osteopathic treatment”, and “perceiving there to be communication between the osteopath and their GP”. Conclusions The large number of important expectations reflects the complexity of providing health care, and the challenges each osteopath faces in meeting patients' expectations. The results provided a generally positive message about private osteopathic practice, showing that most expectations were met and levels of satisfaction were high. The study has identified certain gaps between expectations and the delivery of care, which can be used to improve the quality of care. Patients' expectations are perhaps changing as osteopathy moves from a marginal to a mainstream profession and as consumers (users) have increasingly high expectations of health services generally. These findings may apply to other healthcare professions. The questionnaire is a resource for future research.

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