Findings of public and patients perceptions survey published

The report, approved by our Council in July, offers useful information for osteopaths and other healthcare professionals about what is important to patients before and during appointments.

Information about the benefits of treatment, risks, costs and what treatment will involve are shown to be important to patients, especially older patients. Information about our concerns process is especially important for people with disabilities.

Published in the report Perceptions: Public and Patients, the findings show that, compared with previous years, the public are more motivated to visit an osteopath as a result of knowing osteopaths are regulated. In relation to public confidence, osteopaths continue to rank around the middle compared with other healthcare professions, but the findings show a slight decrease in public confidence in osteopathy among some groups since 2014.

Following on from surveys conducted in 2018 and 2014, the research aims to provide an understanding and track changes in public and patient perceptions of osteopathic care and regulation over time Over 1,000 members of the public and 500 osteopathic patients completed a survey conducted by YouGov, who then compared the results with the previous findings.

We aim to further explore certain areas highlighted by the findings, such as the factors that may influence public confidence in the profession.

• Read the full report on our website
• Find more about our public and patient perceptions research