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Do designation medical: Doctor of osteopathic medicine: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

Doctor of osteopathic medicine: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia


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A doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) is a physician licensed to practice medicine, perform surgery, and prescribe medicine.

Like all allopathic physicians (or MDs), osteopathic physicians complete 4 years of medical school and can choose to practice in any specialty of medicine. However, osteopathic physicians receive an additional 300 to 500 hours in the study of hands-on manual medicine and the body’s musculoskeletal system, called osteopathic manipulative therapy (OMT).

Osteopathic physicians hold to the principle that a patient’s history of illness and physical trauma are written into the body’s structure. The osteopathic physician’s highly developed sense of touch allows the physician to feel (palpate) the patient’s living anatomy (the flow of fluids, motion and texture of tissues, and structural makeup).

Like MDs, osteopathic physicians are licensed at the state level. Osteopathic physicians who wish to specialize may become board certified (in the same manner as MDs) by completing a 2- to 6-year residency within the specialty area, often side-by-side with MDs, and passing the same board certification exams as MDs.

DOs practice in all specialties of medicine, ranging from emergency medicine and cardiovascular surgery to psychiatry and geriatrics. Osteopathic doctors use the same medical and surgical treatments that are used by other medical doctors, but may also incorporate a holistic approach taught during their medical training and use OMT if indicated.

Osteopathic physician

  • Osteopathic medicine

American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine website. What is osteopathic medicine? www.aacom.org/become-a-doctor/about-osteopathic-medicine. Accessed December 22, 2022.

Gevitz N. The “doctor of osteopathy”: expanding the scope of practice. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2014;114(3):200-212. PMID: 24567273 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24567273/.

Stark J. A degree of difference: the origins of osteopathy and the first use of the “DO” designation. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2014;114(8):615-617. PMID: 25082967 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25082967/.

Thomson OP, Petty NJ, Moore AP. A qualitative grounded theory study of the conceptions of clinical practice in osteopathy – a continuum from technical rationality to professional artistry. Man Ther. 2014;19(1):37-43. PMID: 23911356 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23911356/.

Updated by: Allen J. Blaivas, DO, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, VA New Jersey Health Care System, Clinical Assistant Professor, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, East Orange, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

What is a DO? | American Osteopathic Association

Patient care

Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine use a unique whole-person approach to help prevent illness and injury.

Accounting for approximately 11% of all physicians in the United States, Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, or DOs, bring a unique, patient-centered approach to every specialty across the full spectrum of medicine. They are trained to listen and partner with their patients to help them get healthy and stay well.

DOs practice in all medical specialities, including primary care, pediatrics, OBGYN, emergency medicine, psychiatry and surgery. Moreover, DOs hold some of the most prominent positions in medicine today, including overseeing care for the President of the United States, the NASA medical team, Olympic athletes and many who serve in the uniformed services.

From their first days of medical school, DOs are trained to look beyond your symptoms to understand how lifestyle and environmental factors impact your well-being. They practice medicine according to the latest science and technology, but also consider options to complement pharmaceuticals and surgery.

As part of their education, DOs receive special training in the musculoskeletal system, your body’s interconnected system of nerves, muscles and bones. By combining this knowledge with the latest advances in medical technology, they offer patients the most comprehensive care available today.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is osteopathic medicine?

The osteopathic philosophy of medicine sees an interrelated unity in all systems of the body, with each working with the other to heal in times of illness.

Osteopathic medicine is practiced by Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, or DOs, who bring a whole-person approach to care by focusing on looking beyond your symptoms to understand how lifestyle and environmental factors impact your wellbeing.

The profession is one of the fastest growing segments in health care today, with one out of every four medical students enrolled in an osteopathic medical school.

How are DOs educated and trained?

Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, or DOs, complete four years of osteopathic medical school, with an emphasis on preventive medicine and comprehensive patient care.

They are trained to recognize the interrelated unity among all systems of the body, each working with the other to promote overall health and wellness.

Upon graduating from medical school, DOs complete internships, residencies and fellowships. This training lasts three to eight years and prepares them to become licensed and board-certified.

How are DOs licensed and certified?

Like all physicians in the U.S., Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, or DOs, are licensed to practice medicine by licensing boards in each state. Requirements vary by state.

Typically, licensure requires successful completion of a medical licensing exam administered by the state licensing board or acceptance of a certificate issued by the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners upon completion of a rigorous series of exams.

The Federation of State Medical Boards provides a directory of state licensing boards that can be contacted for information regarding physician licensure.

DOs earn board certification when they achieve expertise in a medical specialty or subspecialty by meeting the requirements of a specialty certifying board. Physicians in the U.S. can become board certified through the American Osteopathic Association or the American Board of Medical Specialties. The board certification process involves a combination of written, practical and simulator-based tests.

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Geography of presence

History of development from 2002 to the present

Astrakhan regionVologda regionZabaikalsky regionIrkutsk regionKabardino-Balkar RepublicKrasnoyarsk regionKurgan regionKaluga regionMoscow regionNizhny Novgorod regionOrenburg regionPerm regionRepublic of Adygea Republic of AltaiRepublic of BashkortostanRepublic of BuryatiaRepublic of DagestanRepublic of KareliaRepublic of KomiRepublic of CrimeaRepublic of Mari ElRepublic of Sakha (Yakutia)Republic KhakassiaSverdlovsk RegionPenza RegionUdmurt RepublicVladimir RegionYamalo-Nenets Autonomous OkrugRyazan RegionKirov RegionOmsk RegionJewish Autonomous Region

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  • Astrakhan region

  • Vologda region

  • Trans-Baikal Territory

  • Irkutsk region

  • Kabardino-Balkarian Republic

  • Krasnoyarsk Territory

  • Kurgan region

  • Kaluga region

  • Moscow region

  • Nizhny Novgorod Region

  • Orenburg region

  • Perm region

  • Republic of Adygea

  • Republic of Altai

  • Republic of Bashkortostan

  • Republic of Buryatia

  • Republic of Dagestan

  • Republic of Karelia

  • Republic of Komi

  • Republic of Crimea

  • Republic of Mari El

  • Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)

  • Republic of Khakassia

  • Sverdlovsk region

  • Penza region

  • Udmurt Republic

  • Vladimir region

  • Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug

  • Ryazan region

  • Kirov region

  • Omsk region

  • Jewish Autonomous Region

Can I go to the doctor for an online appointment for a prescription? All about telemedicine

During the pandemic, the demand for online doctor consultations has increased.

How far has telemedicine advanced in Russia? What can and what can’t a doctor do online?

The law on telemedicine, which refers to any remote contact between a doctor and a patient or a doctor and a doctor, say, regarding the choice of treatment tactics, came into force in 2018. Rather, these were amendments to the law “On the Fundamentals of Protecting the Health of Citizens in the Russian Federation”. The document approved the concept of “telemedicine technologies” and the possibilities of their application. Due to the pandemic, the demand for online doctor’s consultations has increased several times – some clinics are talking about an increase of 300 But what medical services can and cannot be obtained on the Internet?0003

Can:

  • take history and decide whether face-to-face visits are required,
  • correct previous treatment,
  • write prescriptions for drugs, but only if previously diagnosed in person,
  • order additional examinations, 900 48
  • decode analyzes.

Cannot:

  • diagnose,
  • prescribe treatment.

“Neither the diagnosis nor the stage of the disease can be established, even though some specific data will be provided, consisting of laboratory tests, computed tomography, and so on,” says Anton Ivanov, head physician of the NACFF clinic. “Based on the results of an online consultation, we provide a conclusion. As a rule, it indicates what the patient needs to do: where and which doctor to contact. Also, no drugs and chemotherapy regimens, potent drugs are prescribed during an online consultation.”

This means that the patient will benefit more from an online consultation if it follows an in-person appointment.

“The initial online consultation, if it is carried out with a new patient who has not previously applied to the clinic in person, is exclusively advisory in nature for further diagnostic actions. According to the law, we cannot only make a diagnosis, but also consider this consultation as medical”, — explains Yegor Safrygin, Director of Digital Transformation of the European Medical Center.

Yes, but subject to two conditions. “Firstly, the doctor must adjust the treatment according to the previously diagnosed diagnosis (that is, not in the case of an initial consultation, but when the patient has already been diagnosed in person, treatment is prescribed, including prescription drugs, – TASS note). The second is in the region, where a doctor writes a prescription, there should be a system for issuing electronic prescriptions signed with an enhanced qualified electronic signature of the doctor,” the press service of the SberHealth service told TASS.

For example, in Moscow doctors can write electronic prescriptions instead of paper ones. You can get prescribed medicines at the pharmacy by presenting the QR code of the prescription on the phone screen in the EMIAS.INFO app or in the patient’s personal account on mos.ru.

“In most cases, this works only when prescribing drugs that certain categories of citizens can receive free of charge or at a 50% discount. Both a medical organization and a pharmacy where the patient will receive the medicine should also be connected to such a system,” the “SberHealth”.

Prescription drugs, like prescription drugs, require special forms, seals and certified signatures of the attending physician and department head. It is more difficult to do this in a telemedicine environment. It happens that some clinics make it a rule not to issue prescriptions for online consultations.

“The law allows you to remotely renew an already issued electronic prescription. At the same time, both the doctor and the patient must have an electronic signature on the State Services portal. But in this way, in practice, it is usually impossible to renew the prescription,” TASS was told in the service ” The doctor is near.

There are legal nuances.

According to the law, a medical organization must provide such online consultations through the Unified State Information System , that is, provided that the organization is identified in this system. “To participate in telemedicine, both doctors and patients must be identified through the Unified Identification and Authentication System (ESIA). Legislative changes have been expected for a long time, but so far registration through the ESIA is available only to medical institutions, and not to telemedicine operators. There are also requirements of the order of the Ministry of Health of 30 November 2017 No. 965 “On approval of the procedure for organizing and providing medical care using telemedicine technologies” in terms of data transfer, storage and protection (information security must be arranged in a certain way),” says Vsevolod Pogodin, head of the arimed.ru telemedicine service. According to him, due to such legal requirements, now most telemedicine services position themselves as advertising platforms that do not provide medical services.0003

The law does not establish a list of doctors who may or may not consult online. The main thing is that the online appointment is conducted by a doctor who has an EDS for signing electronic documents. But in some areas, where personal examination and medical manipulations are a key service, online consultations are unpopular, for example, dentistry. “We were looking for the possibility of introducing online consultations at the beginning of the pandemic, but we couldn’t. It’s possible to get a virtually detailed answer to questions of the nature of “how to restore a tooth”. But when it comes to symptoms and pain, online reception turns into “guess the melody,” — says Kirill Kostin, chief physician of the PerfectSmile Center for Aesthetic Dentistry, Cosmetology and Bone Regeneration.0003

Judging by the data of clinics, the most popular consultations are those of therapists and neurologists.

“In 2021, our structure of visits to doctors of narrow specialties has changed. According to the results of the first quarter of 2021, neurologists were in the lead. In the same period a year ago, people most often turned to obstetrician-gynecologists. In 2021, they rank third in terms of number “Gastroenterologists are in second place. We see an increase in remote calls to psychologists, they occupy the fourth position in the general list. Last year, consultations with a psychologist were not included in the top ten,” says Ekaterina Kuzina, medical director of the Doctor Nearby digital medical service.

“For June 2021, we can highlight the top 5 telemedicine specialties in EMC. Among them are internal medicine, psychiatry, neurology, oncology, urology. In March-July 2020, the most popular areas for telemedicine consultations were psychiatry, general practice / therapy , endocrinology, oncology, neurology,” says Yegor Safrygin, European Medical Center (EMC).

There are pilot programs in some regions of Russia where telemedicine has been included in the CHI system. This does not work on the basis of city clinics, but through the Doctor Nearby service. Most of the online appointments with doctors are conducted in private clinics. Russians have the following opportunities in the field of public medicine:

  • an appointment with a doctor (not all, but most specialists are available) online through the State Services,
  • call a doctor at home (in large cities) also through the State Services.