Independent review of GOsC resources to support decision making with patients published

Professor Dawn Carnes, and team of the University College of Osteopathy, were commissioned to help us to understand whether the resources support effective and better quality communication between osteopaths and their patients.

The comprehensive evaluation included a survey exploring awareness, the views of osteopaths and patients who provided feedback about the resources before, during and after their consultations and focus groups that explored the impact of the resources on their consultations.

Findings included that patients felt listened to and were able to better articulate their needs. They felt this helped the osteopath make more informed decisions about the type of osteopathic treatment appropriate to them. New patients particularly ‘reported that they felt better prepared for the consultation having watched the animation and they felt the patient history form and the goal planner helped them focus their thinking about their health and what they wanted from the consultation.’

Initially osteopaths were more sceptical about the use of the resources and the time it would require to integrate them into the consultation. However, post consultation focus groups revealed that osteopaths who used the resources with new patients were ‘pleased to see they were more prepared for their first consultation. Osteopaths particularly found the goal planner useful in helping formalise the process of identifying patient needs and managing patient expectations of outcomes’. They also felt that if used often, ‘the resources could be used and integrated without the need for more time in a consultation’.

The research also found that for both osteopaths and patients, using the resources helped to facilitate patient centred dialogue.

Fiona Browne, Director of Education, Standards and Development at the GOsC said: ‘We are delighted that the independent report confirms that the values resources helped patients to feel informed, and felt that ‘their voice was heard’. This is a particularly important finding as patients often do not feel that their voice is heard in healthcare and if they are not able to explain what matters to them; they cannot participate in shared decision making about their care. This is great news for osteopaths as the resources can help their patients to prepare for consultations and can help patients express their needs, supporting osteopaths to tailor their discussion and care in partnership with the patient. We welcome further feedback about how we can support osteopaths to use these resources in practice if they wish to do so.’

Following on from the report, the GOsC has improved the accessibility of the resources on its website so osteopaths can link to them more easily if they wish. This talk by Simeon London, Osteopath, discusses how osteopaths can use the resources in practice. We will also be considering how we can further support osteopaths in the process of shared decision making.

The resources were co-produced with patients and osteopaths, as part of a collaborative research programme with the General Dental Council and the Collaborating Centre for Values Based Practice in St Catherine’s College, Oxford.

Read the report

Find out more about our work on resources to support decision making