HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Licciardone, J. C. Articles by Cruser, d. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Licciardone, J. C. Articles by Cruser, d. A.

From the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth—Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (Licciardone, Cruser), and Midwestern University's Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine in Downers Grove, Ill (Nelson, Glonek, Sleszynski).

Please address correspondence to John C. Licciardone, DO, MBA, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth—Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth, TX 76107-2644. E-mail: jlicciar{at}hsc.unt.edu

Context: Relatively little has been published about contemporary use of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) in family practice.

Objective: To provide an "epidemiology" of somatic dysfunction, assessing prevalence and severity of somatic dysfunction encountered in the family practice setting, also characterizing physician use of OMT.

Design: Retrospective analysis of Outpatient Osteopathic SOAP Note Form data collected in 1998 and 1999 by 20 osteopathic medical trainee-investigators under the supervision of seven site-based osteopathic physicians.

Setting: Three university-based, osteopathic family practice clinics.

Results: The authors analyzed records for 1331 patient encounters and 424 adult patients. The mean (SD) age of patients was 56.9 years (16.2 years), and 71% were women. The median number of days between repeat encounters was 29 days. Somatic dysfunction was diagnosed in 418 (31%) patient encounters, affecting a total of 1199 anatomic regions (2.9±1.2 anatomic regions per patient). Investigators used OMT in 335 (25%) patient encounters to treat a total of 952 anatomic regions (2.8±1.2 anatomic regions per patient). For women, the odds ratio for receiving OMT was 1.4 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0–2.2); for patients using analgesics, anti-inflammatory agents, or muscle relaxants, the odds ratio was 2.2 (95% CI, 1.2–4.1). Immediately after OMT, investigators reported that patients' somatic dysfunction resolved or improved in a total of 747 (96%) anatomic regions and remained unchanged in 32 (4%) anatomic regions (P<.001). The authors used cluster analysis to classify anatomic regions by prevalence and severity of somatic dysfunction.

Conclusion: Somatic dysfunction was diagnosed in almost one-third of patient encounters. In one-quarter of patient encounters, investigators used OMT.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. M. Patterson Documentation, Coding, and Reimbursement: An Outcomes-Based Northup Award Winner J Am Osteopath Assoc, January 1, 2006; 106(1): 7 - 8. [Full Text] [PDF]