Patient experience, satisfaction, perception and expectation of osteopathic manipulative treatment: A systematic review

Introduction: Patient experience, satisfaction, perception and expectation are some related measures valued by patient-centered health care. Patient experience (PE) usually refers to objective, observable events or facts; while patient satisfaction, perception and expectation (PS) are measures which focus on a patient's subjective evaluation of the health care process. These concepts have been studied in osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT), a therapeutic intervention practiced by osteopathic practitioners in many countries and by some medical doctors in USA and Canada. Objective: To systematically review and summarize the primary research literature pertaining to PE and PS of OMT. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed on seven databases: Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central, Cinahl, AMED, Osteopathic Research Web, and OSTMED.DR to identify primary research that surveyed the PE or PS of OMT. Findings from relevant studies were summarized. Results: The literature search identified 322 references, of which 16 were included in this review, including 7 qualitative, 8 quantitative and 1 dual-method study. The quantitative studies with various research instruments reported on a number of PE & PS aspects, with data showing mostly positive responses from patients. The qualitative studies revealed patients' perception of OMT which may be summarized as being patient-centered, holistic, thorough, a treatment option that could be effective for certain conditions and one that offered good clinician-patient partnership but with possible adverse effects and futility. Conclusion: The primary literature reported mainly positive PE and PS of OMT. OMT as a treatment was found to have many positive characteristics.