Research Manual

Click to download Research Manual (.pdf)

This 98-page guidebook describes the AAO Louisa Burns Osteopathic Research Committee’s (LBORC) program and its procedures for encouraging standard reporting and scientific publication of information concerning osteopathic palpatory diagnosis and osteopathic manipulative treatment of somatic dysfunction as it relates to health and illness.

Through this initiative, the Committee strives to provide assistance to physicians enabling them to participate in the LBORC mission. The Committee’s major focus will be to obtain data relating to osteopathic principles and practice (OPP) and osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) methods and their effects on health, patient benefits, delivery of health care services and costs. All osteopathic physicians including those in private and group practices as well as those affiliated with osteopathic medical schools and teaching hospitals are encouraged to consider contributing to this research effort. The limits of support will be determined by the availability of resources. All candidates must adhere to the accepted limits for human research.

The LBORC can assist researchers by providing mechanisms for:

1. discussion of ideas in formative stages;
2. conversion of ideas into researchable questions;
3. development of the questions into feasible projects; and
4. provision of criteria for quality reporting in medical publications, preferably refereed publications.

You can download this manual in .pdf format and print all or part of it as a resource to guide you in developing a hypothesis and appropriate protocols. Examples of the type of clinical research related to osteopathic principles and practice (OPP) and osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) include but are not limited to:

1. retrospective studies;
2. systematic documentation of clinical observations and outcomes;
3. prospective cohort studies; and
4. prospective blinded studies.

Supportive services, such as research consultation, will be available on an ongoing basis in order to promote interchange between experienced and novice researchers when necessary. The LBORC may also attempt to encourage a connection between the researcher and others involved in similar efforts in order to benefit both researchers and the profession at large. The LBORC may also facilitate the development of research consortia involving multiple institutions and practices interested in researching questions pertaining to OPP and OMM.