OsteoSurvey from NCOR

Austin Plunkett from the National Council for Osteopathic Research has lately sent us this extremely interesting communication which we thought would be of great interest to you. This would be an ideal opportunity to offer some support to the wider profession so your participation would be greatly appreciated.

The National Council for Osteopathic Research (NCOR) are conducting a survey of the osteopathic profession to help us understand more about the people who come to see us. The survey is called OsteoSurvey 2019. We are contacting you since you have opted in to receive communications regarding research.

What is OsteoSurvey?

OsteoSurvey is a questionnaire survey about you and a sample of your patients. We conducted a similar survey to this nearly 10 years ago, and we will benefit from knowing if anything has changed in the nature and type of osteopathy practised, and the profile of patients seeking osteopathic care over that time.  Your participation will make a valuable contribution to the profession.

Why is OsteoSurvey important?

We are asking osteopaths to provide information so that the profession can describe itself more clearly to the general public and other healthcare professionals. This will also provide statistics and information that can be used by anyone in the profession to promote their practice. By taking part, you are helping to ensure our survey includes the broad scope of osteopathic practice. Survey participation also counts as continuing professional development as part of meeting the Osteopathic Practice Standards.

How do I join the survey?

If you were practising clinically during 2018 in private practice (not in the NHS) then you can join simply by following the link below. You will need access to your patient records from 2018. You are not obliged to join, and you can withdraw at any time.

Join the survey by following this link: https://ncor.org.uk/join-osteosurvey-2194387/

How long will it take?

The questionnaire is in 3 parts:

• Part A explains the survey in full.
• Part B asks questions about you (10-15 minutes).
• Part C is about your patients (5-40 minutes per patient depending on the complexity of their records). Part C is designed so that you can complete a portion of it and return later to finish the rest.

We request that you complete Part C for 4 patients or more. To ensure that the research team cannot link you to the information provided, all data provided in Part C is stored separately from the data provided in Part B.

Do I need to ask permission from my patients?

No. This study involves reviewing of anonymised patient data. This study has undergone review by the Queen Mary University of London Research Ethics Committee (Panel D, ref QMERC2019/23).

Who will use this data?

The data you enter will be stored securely at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), and processed in accordance with data protection regulations.

Further information

If you have any questions, please contact NCOR during normal office hours on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday on 020 7882 7087 or email a.plunkett@qmul.ac.uk