You really have to hand it to the AOA. The osteopathic profession has become the Apple Computer of medicine. “Think Different.” For all the talking back and forth here on SDN, the comments section of this article really brings into focus exactly what everyone has known for a long time: Not only are patients familiar with DOs, but there is also a minority of the population that has bought-hook, line, and sinker-the argument of osteopathic “distinctiveness.”
If osteopathic medicine stays the course, I think the profession will continue to see good press and greater public recognition. I think the profession needs to come to terms with where to draw the line on the “distinctive” argument. On one hand, it is true that there is a sizeable population of patients who see DOs as an alternative, however misinformed, to regular allopathic medicine. At the same time, the comments also reveal a sizeable portion (although clear minority) of MDs who feel threatened by DOs. The writing is on the wall for these people: medicine is under assault from mid-level practitioners and now, due largely to nothing within their own control, DOs are seen as a “holistic” version of the MD. What’s even better is that most of the population doesn’t even associate DOs with manipulation. Instead, they talk about completely intangible and immeasurable feelings of “niceness” and better beside manners. From a purely public relations standpoint it confers a lot of the advantages of nursing without needing to be a nurse.
I think there is goodwill in the public toward osteopathic medicine. It’s up to the osteopathic profession to use it wisely.
