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Updated: Aug 15, 2026
Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment as a Useful Adjunctive Tool for Pneumonia
Published on: May 6, 2014
Allopathic family medicine residents can learn osteopathic manipulation techniques in a 1-month elective
1Malcolm Grow Medical Center Family Medicine Residency, Andrews Air Force Base, MD 20762, USA. James.Leiber@andrews.af.mil
Background:
Graduating family medicine residents report a relative lack of confidence in managing musculoskeletal problems, and many primary care physicians desire more instruction in manual medicine.
Methods:
We conducted a 1-month osteopathic manipulative treatment elective with five allopathic family medicine residents, utilizing multiple teaching and assessment strategies.
Results:
Residents averaged 30 patient encounters each. Faculty graded their attainment of the knowledge and skills objectives at 3.9 and 3.8 on a 5-point scale, respectively. Residents reported unanimously that the course had reasonable expectations and fostered independent decision making and that they achieved the educational goals.
Conclusions:
After a 1-month elective, allopathic residents demonstrated competency in a defined set of osteopathic principles and skills.
