Osteopathic physicians often use touch, along with a physical exam and medical history, to determine the source of a patient’s illness or injury. Once a diagnosis is made, they might use osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT for short) to treat any muscoskeletal problems detected. But preliminary findings from a new study of almost 200 soon-to-be doctors suggests that the technique may be losing its following, a finding that alarms Dr. Jay Shubrook, lead researcher on the study and a physician in Ohio University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine.

As part of a five-year study that began in 2000, Shubrook surveyed students, interns, and medical residents at the Centers for Osteopathic Research and Education, a network of hospitals in Ohio associated with OU-COM. Participants were asked to rate their level of comfort with OMT and to estimate how often they practiced it.

Third-year medical students were most comfortable practicing OMT — 58 percent said they were extremely or at least somewhat comfortable using the method to treat patients. But only 16 percent of residents were as comfortable as third-year students in the study, suggesting that, as students progress through their education, they may become increasingly uncomfortable using OMT, according to Shubrook,an assistant professor of family medicine and assistant residency director for the family practice residency at O’Bleness Memorial Hospital.

While some respondents did say that they plan to practice OMT more in the future, Shubrook worries that current data may not support this claim. When asked why they were uncomfortable with OMT techniques, more than 70 percent of the respondents pointed to a lack of OMT-practicing role models as a primary factor.

To address some of the issues raised in the study, Shubrook is developing a curriculum that includes lectures on OMT for students and residents. Part of that program is OMT Rounds, in which osteopathic physicians work directly with students to discuss the appropriate use of OMT on hospitalized patients. The program would be designed to increase both student and teacher comfort with OMT and ultimately give medical students more role models, Shubrook says.

“Because there weren’t any role models, I felt it was important for me to go out there and make it happen,” Shubrook says.

Shubrook will survey the participants at the CORE sites each year between now and 2005 to see if the experimental curriculum helps students and residents become more comfortable with OMT. If the program has positive results, Shubrook adds, the college may implement a more structured OMT curriculum to all CORE hospitals.