An Innovative Osteopathic Curriculum for Allopathic and Osteopathic Family Medicine Residents

Abstract Background: How does a family medicine program meet the osteopathic education needs of its residents with 1 osteopathic faculty member before recruiting additional faculty and applying for osteopathic recognition? Methods: A prospective quality improvement study of an 18-month curriculum developed for a family medicine program with only 1 osteopathic faculty was conducted utilizing pre- and post-curriculum digital surveys. The curriculum consisted of a 3-module self-study introductory element created using Google Forms, monthly lectures with a brief hands-on laboratory experience, and OMM encounters during the resident family medicine continuity clinic. The objective was to assess the curriculum's impact on resident perceptions and confidence regarding osteopathic concepts, referral for OMT, and use of OMT. Summary statistics were generated and the χ 2 test and Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used to compare responses. Results: Eleven residents responded to the initial survey and 10 to the follow-up survey. The residents showed statistically-significant increases in confidence concerning knowledge of osteopathic principles (pre-curriculum mean, 2.27 vs. post-curriculum mean, 3.40; p=0.016), and the indications for OMT (pre-curriculum mean, 2.45 vs. post-curriculum mean, 3.80; p=0.011). Confidence related to the diagnosis of somatic dysfunction approached statistical significance (pre-curriculum mean, 2.55 vs. post-curriculum mean, 3.20; p=0.053). There was no statistically significant effect on satisfaction with options for treating low back pain (pre-curriculum mean, 2.91 vs. post-curriculum mean, 3.70; p=0.059), or knowing how to treat using OMT (pre-curriculum mean, 2.55 vs. post-curriculum mean, 2.80; p=0.334). The results suggest the participants increased their familiarity with the mechanisms of each of the assessed OMT modalities, with the largest increase with Still technique (pre-curriculum mean, 2.18 vs. post-curriculum mean, 3.60; p=0.011). There was no statistically-significant change in patient referrals for OMT or treating patients with OMT. Conclusion: These results support the notion that programs not meeting the criteria for osteopathic recognition may disseminate relevant osteopathic knowledge.