Since the last newsletter, DO-Touch.Net has continued to thrive. The first annual Network Membership Meeting was held in Kirksville last fall and was a huge success with great participation, insightful discussion and exciting learning.
Because of continued support from the AOA Council of Research, we have seen a 40% increase in completed monthly study participants, quickly building the network’s database to unprecedented levels. We have joined the Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) consortium, housed at Vanderbilt University, and are initiating use of the REDCap data collection system to improve our data management capabilities. We have designed new collection forms for our members that not only enhance our study data collections, but assist in physician practices as well. We have had two published abstracts regarding our findings during the development of DO-Touch.NET, one from the network’s presentation at the 54th Annual AOA Research Conference published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association (August 2010, Vol. 110, No. 8, pp. 451-452) and the second from the network’s presentation at the 2011 International Congress of Osteopathic Medicine in Elsevier’s International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine (March 2013, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. e11-e12) entitled Osteopathic Medicine Reduces Pain and Improves Quality of Life. Our first article is currently under review and we expect it to be in print this year.
Despite the many advances within DO-Touch.Net, we are still missing something … you! One strength of DO-Touch.NET is the wide scope of practices from which data is collected. As more physicians participate, the results become more valuable and their impact on the practice of medicine significantly increases. DO-Touch.Net continues to be the only practice-based research network whose primary mission is “To Evaluate and Advance the Practice of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine.” Healthcare professionals know the importance of evidence to the practice and advancement of medicine. DO-Touch.Net is your way to participate in this very important role while doing what you like to do the best, providing patient care. Are you passionate about OMM? Do you want to make a difference in the future of healthcare? If so, we encourage your membership in DO-Touch.NET.
If you are attending the upcoming American Academy of Osteopathy Convocation in Orlando in March, please visit our booth (#132) to learn more about DO-Touch.NET membership. If you are seriously interested in being part of the network, DO-Touch.Net will be sponsoring a luncheon on Friday, March 22 just for you! We look forward to seeing you there.