What puts the adverse in ‘adverse events’? Patients’ perceptions of post-treatment experiences in osteopathy – A qualitative study using focus groups

Patients commonly report mild to moderate effects following all forms of manual therapy. These are often regarded as adverse events by practitioners but there is limited evidence on how patients view their post-treatment experiences, and what meaning they ascribe to them. This qualitative study used three focus group discussions (19 participants) to explore osteopathic patients’ perspectives; a framework approach was used to analyse the data. There were four emergent themes (and 23 sub-themes). Interpretative (level two) analysis of the data led to a conceptual model of meaning with four inter-related components: Expectations; Personal investment; Osteopathic encounter; Clinical change, under an overarching construct, the ‘global osteopathic experience’. These four components, designated EPOC, can have a profound impact on a patient’s post-treatment experiences and their perception of what is adverse. This model suggests there is disparity between patient perceptions and clinical definitions of adverse events; awareness by practitioners of this disparity is essential for effective clinical management.