A 76 % reduction in the seventy of patient’s pain was found in a project that looked at the role of osteopathy in the management of musculoskeletal disorders.
Dr Ken Aswani, a fundholding GP at The Allum Medical Centre in Leystonstone, London, took part in the project over the past year, surveying patients who had been treated by osteopath Nigel Hole three to six months after their treatment had been completed.
A questionnaire was drawn up which asked patients for a wide range of information on their musculo skeletal problems. Of the 44 patients, 34 returned them, giving a response rate of 77.3%.
The evaluation criteria were severity of pain before and after treatment, the amount of analgesics taken before and after treatment, the cost benefit of the treatment and patient satisfaction.
Using osteopathy resulted in a 76 % reduction in the severity of the patients' pain. The average number of hours of pain suffered by each patient was reduced from 18.85 hours a day to 4.79 hours after treatment, a 75 % reduction in pain.
The number of analgesic tablets taken per day was also reduced from an average of 6.18 tablets a day to 0.5 tablets a day. All the patients were satisfied with the treatment.
The cost benefit analysis showed that there was a potential reduction in cost from £45,952 to just £540, including a consideration of lost earnings.
For the study group, this represents a potential saving of £45,412 or an average of £1,336 per patient.
Dr Aswani said: 'Our study demonstrated the considerable benefit of having an osteopath service available on the NHS.'
Mr Hole noted the NHS patients differ from his private patients in that they are older and the pain tends to be chronic rather than acute. He also pointed out the psychological benefits for the patient of spending a half-hour session with the osteopath, who provides hands-on treatment and explains the condition, resulting in a more positive effect than a GP saying there is little more that can be done other than treatment with painkillers.
|
