ArticleBMC complementary medicine and therapies2021
Evidence-based practice among Italian osteopaths: a national cross-sectional survey.
Article in BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- Characteristics, opportunities, and challenges of osteopathy (COCO) in the perceptions of osteopaths in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland: a metasynthesis.European journal of medical research · 2024Pooled it
- European research Priorities for Osteopathic Care (PROCare): a sequential exploratory investigation and survey.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Clinical Reasoning and Practices in the Osteopathic Management of Visceral Disorders: A Grounded Theory Study in the Italian Context.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- A national survey of osteopaths' conceptions of practice in France: structural validity of the Osteo-TAQfr and the tendency toward technical rationality.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Characteristics, Opportunities, and Challenges of Osteopathy Based on the Perceptions of Osteopaths in Austria: Qualitative Interview Study.JMIR human factors · 2024Article
- Investigating attitudes, skills, and use of evidence-based practice among Norwegian chiropractors; a national cross-sectional study.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- Attitudes, skills and implementation of evidence-based practice: a national cross-sectional survey of licensed naprapaths in Sweden.Chiropractic & manual therapies · 2023Article
- The osteopath-parent-child triad in osteopathic care in the first 2 years of life: a qualitative study.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
- Enablers and barriers to evidence implementation in complementary medicine: A systematic review.Integrative medicine research · 2022Review
- Beliefs and Use of Palpatory Findings in Osteopathic Clinical Practice: A Qualitative Descriptive Study among Italian Osteopaths.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Evidence-based practice in respiratory healthcare professionals in Latin America: a survey of the Latin American Thoracic Association (ALAT).Colombia medica (Cali, Colombia)Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWhile evidence-based practice (EBP) is widely accepted across healthcare professions, research investigating its implementation in manual therapy professions such as osteopathy is limited. The primary aim of this study was to investigate Italian osteopaths' attitudes, skills, and use of EBP. A secondary purpose was to understand the obstacles and enablers to EBP adoption in the Italian osteopathic context.
methodsA cross-sectional national survey was conducted (April to June 2020) among a sample of Italian osteopaths. Eligible participants were invited to complete the Italian-translated Evidence-Based practice Attitude and Utilization Survey (EBASE) anonymously online using various recruitment strategies, including email and social media campaigns. In addition to the three EBASE sub-scores (attitudes, skills and use), the demographic characteristics of the sample were considered.
resultsA total of 473 osteopaths responded to the survey. The sample appeared to represent the Italian osteopathic profession. The majority of participants had a favorable attitude toward EBP. Eighty-eight percent of respondents agreed that EBP was necessary for osteopathy practice and that scientific literature and research findings were beneficial to their clinical scenario (95%). Perceived skill levels in EBP were rated as moderate, with the lowest scores for items relating to clinical research and systematic review conduct. Apart from reading/reviewing scientific literature and using online search engines to locate relevant research papers, participant engagement in all other EBP-related activities was generally low. Clinical practice was perceived to be based on a very small proportion of clinical research evidence. The primary obstacles to EBP implementation were a dearth of clinical evidence in osteopathy, and poor skills in applying research findings. The primary enablers of EBP adoption were access to full-text articles, internet connectivity at work, and access to online databases.
conclusionsItalian osteopaths were largely supportive of evidence-based practice but lacked basic skills in EBP and rarely engaged in EBP activities. The updating of osteopathic training curriculum and professional formal regulation in Italy could provide a suitable framework to improve EBP skills and use.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.