A global view of osteopathic practice – mirror or echo chamber?
The Osteopathic International Alliance (OIA) released a report in 2013 entitled, ‘Osteopathy and osteopathic medicine. A global view of practice, patients, education and the contribution to healthcare delivery’. The report was widely circulated by the statutory regulator in New Zealand. It is said to be a representative document by the OIA. Two osteopathic professional streams were identified – osteopathic physicians (and surgeons) and osteopaths. Other than by ancestry, it is apparent that these two streams are not comparable. The claim of a shared ‘core practice’ between the streams is not upheld by the data, which also appear to indicate a dichotomy between a claim of evidence-based practice and the nature of practice itself … ABSTRACT