Latest Articles
NMM/OMT

Patient-centered care or osteopathic manipulative treatment as mediators of clinical outcomes in patients with chronic low back pain

John C. Licciardone, DO, MS, MBA; and Subhash Aryal, PhD
Patient-centered care is often considered a characteristic of osteopathic medicine, in addition to the use of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) in such musculoskeletal conditions as low back pain. This study aimed to determine if patient-centered care or OMT are mediators of the clinical outcomes of osteopathic medicine in patients with chronic low back pain.
Behavioral Health

A survey of Midwest physicians’ experiences with patients in psychiatric distress in the emergency department

Jack Brodeur, BS, OMS III; Alyse Folino Ley, DO; and Michelle Bonnet, MD, MBA
Emergency medicine physicians commonly stabilize patients with acute psychiatric distress, such as suicidal ideation. Research has shown that suicidal ideation is difficult to manage in emergency department (ED) settings and that patients in psychiatric distress are often “boarded” in the ED while awaiting more definitive care. The authors examine the attitudes and experiences of emergency physicians regarding the care of patients in psychiatric distress. Special attention is given to suicidal ideation due to its prevalence in the United States.
Public Health and Primary Care

Adverse childhood experiences and trauma informed care: treating the whole patient with a more complete osteopathic approach

T. Brian Marcoux, DO
In this Commentary, the author proposes an expansion of the Tenets of Osteopathic Medicine with a fifth principle—considering the implications of a patient’s past formative experiences, their present life circumstances, and their future prospects—as a vehicle for instilling trauma informed care principles ubiquitously throughout osteopathic medical training to develop physicians who treat the whole person more completely and are better equipped to manage this public health crisis.

2021 George W. Northup, DO, Medical Writing Award

Journal of Osteopathic Medicine and the American Osteopathic Association congratulate John C. Licciardone, DO, and Robert J. Gatchel, PhD, recipients of the George W. Northup, DO, Medical Writing Award for their article, “Osteopathic Medical Care With and Without Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain: A Pain Registry–Based Study.” Read the full article here.

Journal of Osteopathic Medicine launches inaugural issues

Journal of Osteopathic Medicine (JOM) – known for 119 years as the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association – published its inaugural issue in January 2021. Learn how the osteopathic medical profession’s journal of record has been refreshed and refocused by reading the introductory Editorial from Dr. Ross Zafonte, JOM’s Editor in Chief; a Q&A with Melissa Schmidt, JOM’s Director; and an announcement from AOA President Dr. Thomas Ely and CEO Dr. Kevin Klauer.

Clinical Image

Polyarticular, ulcerated tophaceous gout

Plain radiographs of this 65 year old man’s foot revealed heterotopic ossification over the first MTP joint with adjacent cutaneous ulceration. Separately, elbow debridement revealed purulent, chalky material in the olecranon bursa and adjacent acute cellulitis with focal areas of necrosis. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Proteus mirabilis were grown from cultures obtained during the debridement, and monosodium urate crystals were visualized using polarized light microscopy. Although this patient recovered from the infection, he presented to the emergency department for recurrent gout flares and developed tophaceous deposits in his left-sided first MTP, knee, and shoulder. Read more