The General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) said it worked with patients and osteopaths to “co-produce a range of resources to support listening, discussion and reflection, before and during consultations”.

Fiona Browne, Director of Education, Standards and Development at the GOsC said:

“We are very grateful to all the patients and osteopaths who gave their time to help us find out what support they need to communicate effectively during consultations.

“The Osteopathic Practice Standards (OPS) explain that osteopaths must work in partnership with patients, adapting their communication approach to take into account the patients’ particular needs, and supporting patients to express what is important to them. These resources have been designed to support these discussions and to help inform decisions about care and treatment for individual patients. We hope that both osteopaths and patients find these resources to be useful during their consultations.”

The new resources include:

  • Patient History form: to enable patients to present their history in a way that is meaningful to them, making clear who they are and what they want and need.
  • Patient Goal planner: to enable patients to identify two or three goals that are important for them to achieve, on a weekly basis, and which they currently cannot achieve because of their symptoms.
  • Visiting an osteopath poster/leaflet: to help patients prepare for their consultation by encouraging them to think about what they might want to get out of their treatment.
  • Practitioner Reflection form: to support osteopaths in using the CARE measure to rate their own perceptions of the patient care they provide.
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