The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, 2011/01, 111(1):67-68. doi: 10.7556/jaoa.2011.111.1.54, type of study: ,qs,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Full text    (https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.7556/jaoa.2011.111.1.54/html)

Keywords:

OMT [3925]
osteopathic manipulative treatment [3946]
Peru [8]
qualitative study [290]

Abstract:

Hypothesis: Osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) will be well received by local healthcare providers in the Andes region of Peru. Methods: Seven osteopathic medical students partnered with the Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children to serve the people of Agallpampa, Peru. Our purpose was to shadow Peruvian allopathic physicians, participate in healthcare promotion and delivery, and conduct advocacy for OMM. Our research team demonstrated the following OMM techniques for local physicians and nurses in Peruvian health posts: thoracic pump, pedal pump, sacral rock, trigeminal stimulation, rib raising, colonic stimulation, lumbar soft tissue, and principles of muscle energy. Demonstration sessions for OMM were recorded. Local medical personnel practiced performing the techniques. No previous knowledge of OMM on the part of local physicians or nurses was anticipated. The willingness of the Peruvian healthcare providers to learn and apply OMM was measured by qualitative interviews and discussions. Results: The heightened awareness of OMM by Peruvian physicians and nurses in the area of Agallpampa, Peru, demonstrated that these techniques improved the treatment and care provided to the indigenous population, as reported by the Peruvian healthcare providers who were trained by the osteopathic medical students. Discussion: The town of Agallpampa sits 10,000 feet above sea level and is the regional center for many Andean villages. Unfortunately, amongst the beautiful Andes Mountains, Agallpampa's people live in extreme poverty. The people perform jobs requiring intense physical labor and live mainly on carbohydrate diets. Malnutrition and respiratory infections are the main health problems afflicting this region. We sought to raise awareness of the role OMM can play as adjuvant treatment for these main health issues. Conclusion: The positive effects of OMM were demonstrated in this region of Peru. Our team hopes to further study and quantify the usefulness of techniques for the Andean medical personnel. Our team suggests that further research be done to monitor the effectiveness of OMM in alleviating health problems in the Andean population. More qualitative research should be performed to measure the effectiveness of applying OMM to improving the healthcare of all people everywhere, especially in remote regions of the world that have historically been without access to modern medicines and healthcare technology.