UNITE – UNIfying Osteopathic Identity Towards European Standards: an international, multilingual, mixed-methods Delphi study on osteopathic professional identity

UNITE seeks international consensus on how to define and describe osteopathic professional identity, to support future European standards (EN 16686). It uses a four-phase, eight-language Delphi design with patients, osteopathic practitioners (including osteopathic physicians), educators, students, professional associations, other healthcare providers and regulators. Phase 0 validates the questions. Phase 1 is a quota-balanced panel of 60 that explores and structures the dimensions of identity using Fitzgerald’s (2020) framework. In Phase 2, all eligible registrants rate statements, with one voice per country. Phase 3 workshops tailor the result to specific uses. The study is conducted by CORaL (UCO School of Osteopathy, Health Sciences University) and funded by Osteopathy Europe. Ethics reference: SREP–062026-01.