Table 2.
Practice characteristics of Australian and new Zealand osteopaths who report often versus not often treating non-musculoskeletal complaints
| Often | Not often | p-value | OR [95% CI] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practice location | |||||||
| Urban practice | 145 (85.3%) | 908 (83.5%) | 0.64 | 1.14 [0.72–1.80] | |||
| More than one practice location | 64 (37.6%) | 373 (34.3%) | 0.44 | 1.15 [0.83–1.61] | |||
| Co-located with other health professionals (‘yes’) | |||||||
| Osteopath | 104 (61.1%) | 683 (62.8%) | 0.74 | 0.93 [0.67–1.30] | |||
| General practitioner | 15 (8.8%) | 76 (7.0%) | 0.48 | 1.27 [0.72–2.30] | |||
| Specialist medical practitioner | 9 (5.3%) | 26 (2.4%) | 0.06 | 2.28 [1.05–4.95] | |||
| Podiatrist | 21 (12.3%) | 141 (13.0%) | 0.92 | 0.94 [0.58–1.54] | |||
| Physiotherapist | 29 (17.1%) | 153 (14.0%) | 0.36 | 1.25 [0.81–1.94] | |||
| Exercise physiologist | 21 (12.3%) | 104 (9.6%) | 0.32 | 1.33 [0.81–2.19] | |||
| Occupational therapist | 4 (2.3%) | 19 (1.7%) | 0.81 | 1.35 [0.45–4.03] | |||
| Psychologist | 43 (25.3%) | 183 (16.8%) | 0.01 | 1.67 [1.14–2.45] | |||
| Massage therapist | 73 (42.9%) | 514 (47.2%) | 0.33 | 0.84 [0.60–1.16] | |||
| Acupuncturist | 37 (21.8%) | 221 (20.3%) | 0.74 | 1.10 [0.73–1.61] | |||
| Naturopath | 50 (29.4%) | 174 (16.0%) | < 0.01 | 2.18 [1.51–3.16] | |||
| Dietician | 13 (7.7%) | 65 (6.0%) | 0.50 | 1.30 [0.70–2.41] | |||
| Nutritionist | 17 (10.0%) | 79 (7.3%) | 0.27 | 1.42 [0.82–2.46] | |||
| Send referrals to other health professionals (‘yes’) | |||||||
| Osteopath | 101 (59.4%) | 570 (52.5%) | 0.11 | 1.33 [0.95–1.84] | |||
| General practitioner | 152 (89.4%) | 961 (88.4%) | 0.80 | 1.11 [0.65–1.87] | |||
| Specialist medical practitioner | 82 (48.2%) | 564 (51.9%) | 0.42 | 0.86 [0.62–1.19] | |||
| Podiatrist | 83 (48.8%) | 667 (61.3%) | < 0.01 | 0.60 [0.43–0.83] | |||
| Physiotherapist | 60 (35.3%) | 393 (36.1%) | 0.89 | 0.96 [0.68–1.35] | |||
| Exercise physiologist | 60 (35.3%) | 354 (32.6%) | 0.53 | 1.13 [0.80–1.58] | |||
| Occupational therapist | 20 (11.8%) | 110 (10.1%) | 0.60 | 1.18 [0.71–1.96] | |||
| Psychologist | 93 (54.7%) | 338 (31.1%) | < 0.01 | 2.67 [1.91–3.72] | |||
| Massage yherapist | 115 (67.7%) | 726 (66.8%) | 0.89 | 1.04 [0.73–1.47] | |||
| Acupuncturist | 100 (58.8%) | 535 (49.2%) | 0.02 | 1.48 [1.06–2.05] | |||
| Naturopath | 101 (59.4%) | 482 (44.3%) | < 0.01 | 1.83 [1.32–2.55] | |||
| Dietician | 32 (18.8%) | 155 (14.3%) | 0.15 | 1.39 [0.91–2.12] | |||
| Nutritionist | 34 (20.0%) | 148 (13.6%) | 0.04 | 1.59 [1.05–2.40] | |||
| Receive referrals from another health professionals (‘yes’) | |||||||
| Osteopath | 134 (78.8%) | 678 (62.4%) | < 0.01 | 2.24 [1.52–3.30] | |||
| General practitioner | 151 (88.8%) | 968 (89.1%) | 1.00 | 0.97 [0.58–1.63] | |||
| Specialist medical practitioner | 49 (28.8%) | 275 (25.3%) | 0.38 | 1.19 [0.83–1.71] | |||
| Podiatrist | 71 (41.7%) | 449 (41.3%) | 0.97 | 1.02 [0.73–1.41] | |||
| Physiotherapist | 75 (44.1%) | 311 (28.6%) | < 0.01 | 1.97 [1.41–2.74] | |||
| Exercise physiologist | 44 (25.8%) | 227 (20.9%) | 0.17 | 1.32 [0.91–1.92] | |||
| Occupational therapist | 24 (14.2%) | 62 (5.7%) | < 0.01 | 2.72 [1.64–4.49] | |||
| Psychologist | 60 (35.3%) | 136 (12.5%) | < 0.01 | 3.81 [2.65–5.48] | |||
| Massage therapist | 136 (80.0%) | 808 (74.3%) | 0.13 | 1.38 [0.92–2.06] | |||
| Acupuncturist | 83 (48.8%) | 420 (38.7%) | 0.01 | 1.51 [1.10–2.10] | |||
| Naturopath | 97 (57.0%) | 397 (36.5%) | < 0.01 | 2.31 [1.66–3.21] | |||
| Dietician | 35 (3.2%) | 11 (6.5%) | 0.06 | 2.08 [1.03–4.18] | |||
| Nutritionist | 15 (8.8%) | 59 (5.4%) | 0.11 | 1.68 [0.93–3.04] | |||
| Diagnostic imaging | |||||||
| Referral for imaging (‘often’) | 25 (14.7%) | 113 (10.4%) | 0.12 | 1.48 [0.93–2.37] | |||
| Investigation of unknown pathologies | 126 (74.2%) | 817 (75.2%) | 0.84 | 0.94 [0.65–1.37] | |||
| Investigation of suspected diagnosis | 143 (84.2%) | 927 (85.3%) | 0.78 | 0.91 [0.59–1.42] | |||
| Investigation of potential fractures | 128 (75.3%) | 844 (77.6%) | 0.56 | 0.88 [0.60–1.30] | |||
| Rule out risk factors prior to treatment | 58 (34.2%) | 320 (29.4%) | 0.25 | 1.24 [0.88–1.75] | |||
| General screening of the spine | 10 (5.9%) | 44 (4.1%) | 0.37 | 1.48 [0.73-3.00] | |||
| Patient assessment (‘yes’) | |||||||
| Orthopaedic testing | 161 (94.7%) | 1064 (97.8%) | 0.03 | 0.39 [0.17–0.85] | |||
| Clinical assessment algorithm | 64 (37.6%) | 484 (44.5%) | 0.11 | 0.75 [0.54–1.05] | |||
| Neurological testing | 157 (92.3%) | 1013 (93.1%) | 0.81 | 0.88 [0.48–1.63] | |||
| Screening questionnaire | 112 (65.8%) | 758 (69.7%) | 0.35 | 0.84 [0.59–1.18] | |||
| Cranial nerve testing | 135 (79.4%) | 717 (65.9%) | < 0.01 | 1.99 [1.34–2.95] | |||
Values in bold are statistically signifcant