The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Osteopaths

Stephen R. Covey has made a lot of people think about maximising their effectiveness with his book, 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change'.

Using Covey's '7 habits' as a template, it can equally be applied to the relationship an osteopath might cultivate with his patients.

The following 'habits' have been re-organised to a slightly different order so as to show how I tend to see the development of an osteopath-patient relationship.

1. "Seek first to understand, then to be understood" (Habit 5)

The way a patient thinks and the way an osteopath thinks are not necessarily one and the same thing. The osteopath must attempt to understand many aspects of the patient and then perform an examination to make sense of the symptoms. It is the osteopath that must provide the answers to the satisfaction of the patient, although this is not always easy to articulate as osteopathy can be as much of an art as it is a science.

Describe to the patient why he has his symptoms.

2. "Be proactive" (Habit 1)

An osteopath (British-trained in my case) has skills to make a difference to many people's lives by addressing the anatomy and physiology of the human body. Quite often, this can be by simply identifying something that is "out of the ordinary" and at other times by integrating a multitude of smaller factors that lead to a cumulative effect. Osteopaths like myself are here to help if we can, but to refer you elsewhere if we cannot.

Describe to the patient whether you can help or not.

3. "Begin with the end in mind" (Habit 2)

An osteopath should be looking to what he hopes to realistically achieve with his actions and advice before he commences the treatment program. Starting treatment without even the simplest of plans in mind is not appropriate for either the osteopath or the patient.

Describe to the patient the goals you are trying to achieve

4. "Put first things first" (Habit 3)

Prioritising the treatment plan is essential. If some aspects can be easily treated while more difficult areas could wait, there could be value in this approach. However, if the 'basics' are not taken into account, even the best thought out plans can suffer. These plans can be long-term or short-term and the patient should understand the differences.

Describe to the patient how you are going to achieve these goals.

5. "Synergise" (Habit 6)

Patient and practitioner relationships are important. If the osteopath and the patient work together, there is a higher degree of success.

Encourage the patient to work with you, rather than either of you being passive and passing an unfair amount of responsibility.

6. "Think win-win" (Habit 4)

Although we would like to think that every technique and every condition can be correctly diagnosed and treated first time, every time, the reality of this is not always the case. If a diagnosis or treatment does not give the predicted results, then we must openly question ourselves and decide upon the next course of action. The next course of action may be to apply a different approach. It may also mean referring to another practitioner. In either case, we must learn from the previous experiences and avoid any unnecessary repetition of ineffective treatment approaches. This is the basis of logical decuction.

Describe to the patient that both positive and negative treatment results give valuable information to help us achieve the goal.

7. "Sharpen the saw" (Habit 7)

The osteopath should always be trying to keep updated and to evaluate his successes and failures. He should take steps to maintain or improve the quality of his professional practise while also acknowledging his own zones of appropriate professional and personal comfort.

An osteopath should never be afraid to re-assess any aspects of his professional role for either the benefit of himself or his patient.

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Copyright © Marc Jones - Osteopath (UK), Osteopathy Vancouver 2003 onwards