ABSTRACT
The outcome is usually satisfied patients and osteopaths whose professional standards are met. Prevention, they say, is better than cure, and osteopaths who have found themselves on the wrong side of the GOsC Professional Conduct Committee or a negligence allegation would wholeheartedly agree. The process of examining and treating a patient has several components and the risks will be considered under the following headings: Appearances, they say, can be deceptive. In concentrating on osteopathic examination, the osteopath can miss straightforward medical signs. The examination builds on the information gleaned in the history and enables the osteopath to reach a diagnosis. However, allegations of poor professional standards and negligence indicate that, on occasion, osteopaths do forget important elements of the examination and this serves to be a reminder of areas where care is necessary. Osteopaths need to be consistently vigilant and to provide those therapies for which they are trained and in which they are competent.
