Osteopaths and infant feeding support project
Many osteopaths have patients and clients who are new mothers or are caring for a new baby.
Maternal Care and Paediatric Care (care of children) comes into the scope of osteopathic practice, and to help develop public information and build the evidence base for osteopathic work in this area, the ISOHC is undertaking the following projects:
Please note: the evidence base for all these types of clinical care approaches is still being established, so discussing these items here does not indicate osteopaths and practitioners using osteopathic concepts are making a claim for clinical efficacy in these types of clinical situations and presentations.
- Exploring Osteopathic Concepts of Care
This will involve interviewing osteopaths with interest in this care, to review how they might approach evaluating or helping new mums and their infants who have a variety of feeding problems or difficulties.
Although there is some evidence that osteopathic approaches may be of benefit to the healthcare services offered to new mums and their infants. it is not clear exactly what the osteopathic approach may be. This first phase of the project explores what osteopaths are doing, what they are thinking and what they think they are contributing to the overall clinical care.
The outcomes from this will be information about the contributions osteopaths may be able to make.
2. Role clarification.
This section of the project will be reviewing the roles osteopaths are considering undertaking – such as advice, therapeutic intervention or triage / referral opportunities. This section will be developing using the information in the first stage of the project.
3. What osteopaths might be assessing, evaluating or measuring as they consider possible therapeutic interventions in this field of care.
4. Exploring the underlying scientific rational and hypotheses for these types of interventions.
Future stages of the project will look at elements of risk if osteopaths undertake various roles, will look at role overlap and boundaries with other healthcare providers working in this field of care, and will also consider how to develop further evidence to explore the potential for osteopathic care for mothers and their infants, with a variety of feeding difficulties.
For further information on this project please see below (free membership required)
- Certification for Complex Pelvic and Internal and Sensitive Areas Work
- Women’s Health – what can osteopaths do in support?
- WOMEN’S HEALTH STRATEGY – WHAT DO OSTEOPATHS SAY?
- THE ANTENATAL NICE GUIDELINES – SUBMISSION IS IN!
- WHOMBS CLINCAL SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP – CALL FOR ACTION – NICE SUBMISSION, AND UK GOV WOMEN’S HEALTH STRATEGY EVIDENCE REQUEST.