Visiting an osteopath animation
It is not always clear what to expect when you visit a new healthcare practitioner for the first time. You may be unclear about how an osteopath will assess your problem and deliver care and what your role in the process might be. This useful animation, developed by the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) for osteopaths and their patients, will provide you with an overview of what you can expect from a consultation with an osteopath and your role in helping to shape and guide your care. We hope you enjoy it!
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Before you attend your appointment you might like to think about how you feel and what your hopes and expectations might be. Having a clear picture of your situation that you feel you are able to share with your osteopath can be very helpful in assisting them in making decisions with you that are well informed and based around your needs. If you think taking such an approach could be helpful then this form developed by the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) may guide you.
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Goal planning; planning and monitoring progress
Another way to think about what you would like to happen during your time visiting an osteopath is to think about and plan goals you may have. For example, depending on why you are seeing your osteopath, you might wish to return to a particular activity, have less pain or more mobility. Goal planning overtime can help you assess what progress you are making and can help you to talk about what is happening with your osteopath, so that they can adapt or change your care with a clear understanding of your needs and expectations. The goal planner below is another resource developed by the GOsC and can be used for just such a purpose. Feel free to download it and fill it in, either before you attend, during your consultation or afterwards. You can then refer to it as you feel.
patient-goal-planner-formDownload
