PhD Project - Evaluating Osteopathic Care through Practice-Based Clinical Data Collection: Leveraging the NCOR Research Network

The research will employ a mixed methods approach to clinical data collection through the established NCOR-RN infrastructure. Initial phases will involve consultation with osteopaths who are NCOR-RN members and with patients to identify priority clinical presentations and outcome measures.

Subsequently, the project will implement enhanced data collection protocols within NCOR-RN that capture meaningful clinical and patient-reported outcomes whilst ensuring General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance.

The research will analyse longitudinal clinical data to evaluate patient outcomes across different osteopathic interventions and symptom presentations. Practitioner engagement strategies and data quality metrics will be evaluated to optimise participation and ensure robust data collection.

Patient and public involvement will be integrated throughout to ensure outcome measures reflect patient priorities and the patient voice is meaningfully incorporated in the research process.

The research will generate a comprehensive evidence base regarding osteopathic care effectiveness across common clinical presentations, utilising real-world data collected through NCOR-RN. Key outputs will include peer-reviewed publications reporting clinical outcomes, evidence-based guidance for osteopathic practitioners, and resources supporting communication with patients and healthcare colleagues.

The project will establish protocols for sustained clinical data collection beyond the PhD period, ensuring the NCOR-RN infrastructure continues to generate valuable evidence. Academic outputs will advance understanding of practice-based research methodologies and osteopathic care outcomes, contributing to both the osteopathic literature and broader musculoskeletal health research.

This research will have significant academic, professional, and societal impact. Academically, it will contribute methodological insights regarding PBRN data collection and advance evidence regarding osteopathic care outcomes.

For the osteopathic profession, it will provide robust evidence supporting clinical practice, enhance professional credibility through systematic outcome evaluation, and demonstrate research career pathways for osteopaths. Patients will benefit from improved understanding of osteopathic care effectiveness and evidence-based practice development that incorporates patient perspectives.

The research addresses NCOR’s strategic mission to develop research capacity within osteopathy and generate evidence for osteopathic practice, whilst maintaining connection between research and clinical practice. Beyond immediate outputs, the clinical data collected will create lasting value for the profession, supporting evidence-based communication with allied health professionals and NHS colleagues.