Does the act of paying for treatment influence pain outcomes in an osteopathic clinic setting?
Item
- Title
- Does the act of paying for treatment influence pain outcomes in an osteopathic clinic setting?
- Author(s)
- Powell, Christa
- Abstract
- BackgroundChronic low back pain (CLBP) is a significant burden on the UK National Health Service (NHS). Osteopaths in private practice commonly treat CLBP, but patients are now also referred to osteopathic clinics from NHS services and receive treatment free of charge. Research has shown that patients have different perceptions of private and public health services. We hypothesised that paying for treatments may motivate patients to improve more quickly, either because they are parting with money or because those who choose to see an osteopath privately have higher pre-treatment expectations. Models that highlight which patient characteristics are influencing outcomes are valuable for general practitioners and osteopaths for making informed decisions about referrals and reduce the costs of public funding. MethodsIn this retrospective study, we obtained the data for all patients treated at a student osteopathic clinic between the years of 2011 and 2014. From a total of 7,372 patients, 1,011 met the inclusion criteria and were analysed using multiple regression techniques. Changes in pain severity was the main outcome measure. ResultsPayment and referral status, occupation and duration of pain prior to consultation were significant predictors of a reduction in pain severity (p < 0.01). On average, NHS patients attended the clinic more frequently than private ones before being discharged: 5.63 (SD 4.80) and 7.54 (SD 7.58), respectively. ConclusionPayment and referral status, patient occupation and duration of pain prior to consultation are significantly correlated with reductions in pain severity. Private patients undergo fewer osteopathic treatment sessions and are discharged with a lower pain rating than their NHS counterparts.
- presented at
- British College of Osteopathic Medicine
- Date Accepted
- 2015
- Date Submitted
- 13.11.2018 11:19:23
- Type
- osteo_thesis
- Language
- English
- Number of pages
- 18
- Submitted by:
- 4457
- Pub-Identifier
- 16290
- Inst-Identifier
- 1076
- Recommended
- 0
- Item sets
- Thesis
Powell, Christa, “Does the act of paying for treatment influence pain outcomes in an osteopathic clinic setting?”, Osteopathic Research Web, accessed May 24, 2025, https://www.osteopathic-research.com/s/orw/item/2056