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It's
always nice to get feedback from surveys to confirm
that the profession is on the up and up. The General
Osteopathic Council (GOsC) undertook a public awareness
survey in October and November 2001 and have recently
published the results. 3000 people were surveyed and
the results were compared with those from a similar
survey from 1996.
The percentage of people who have heard of osteopathy
and have actually received treatment has increased 25%
since 1996. We have certainly noticed our patient numbers
increasing year on year. Of those people who had received
treatment from an osteopath, 46% considered it "very
effective". This is backed up by a Which? Report
from last year that surveyed 10,000 people and concluded
that consulting an osteopath led to "great improvement"
for three-quarters of users.
The GOsC survey shows that personal recommendation by
a friend or relative is still the main reason for initially
consulting an osteopath. This very much reflects what
we find at Mulberry House. It obviously makes sense
to send a friend along as a guinea pig to check us out
before risking a visit yourself!
Apparently referrals from GP's are also on the up but
to be honest we haven't witnessed much of this yet.
However, the survey also concludes that of those patients
who had discussed osteopathy with their GP's, 33% felt
that s/he was supportive.
It's no surprise that 95% believe that the NHS should
support osteopathic treatment. After six years practice
in Edinburgh we have had only one patient who managed
to obtain NHS funding for a course of treatment. A major
achievement which required a committed campaign by the
patient concerned.
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