Osteopathic manipulative treatment for the allopathic resident elective: comments on survey selection
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William Kyle Copenhaver
I read with pleasure the article by Slattengren et al. [1] titled “Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment for the Allopathic Resident Elective: Does it Change Practice After Graduation?” and would like to offer additional commentary on the comfortability scales utilized in the data collection. I hope these perspectives may provide insight into areas that may require further research and improvement.
Slattengren et al. [1] summarized that in a cohort of 37 allopathic residents who either took an osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) elective or did not, there was a reported increase in comfortability performing OMT and a reported increase in frequency of referring to DOs. There were no statistically significant findings reported in the study.
As described in the study design, there was a 101-point scale (0–100) used to rate comfortability in three domains (physical exam, designing a treatment plan, and performing OMT). A simple numerical response scale of 0–100 is not a rigorous measurement system. A highly granular scale allows for freedom of choice by the respondent but is often not preferred over a Likert scale due to lower compliance rates [2].
The choice of using a 101-point scale over a Likert scale was not discussed in the study design. A Likert scale of 5–11 items with a neutral middle is often preferred over other Likert scale lengths due to construct validity [3]. Furthermore, if a 101-point scale is desired, a web-based visual analog scale (VAS) is preferred over a simple numerical response due to the VAS having superior analytical quality [4].
In the end, I commend the authors for their analysis of the education of allopathic physicians in osteopathic tenets.
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Research ethics: Not applicable.
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Informed consent: Not applicable.
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Author contributions: The author has accepted responsibility for the content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
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Competing interests: None declared.
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Research funding: None declared.
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Data availability: Not applicable.
References
1. Slattengren, A, Wootten, M, Carlin, C, Nissly, T. Osteopathic manipulative treatment for the allopathic resident elective: does it change practice after graduation? J Osteopath Med 2023;123:337–41. https://doi.org/10.1515/jom-2022-0219.Search in Google Scholar PubMed
2. Lewis, J, Erdinc, O. User experience rating scales with 7, 11, or 101 points: does it matter? J Usability Stud 2017;12:73–91.Search in Google Scholar
3. Kusmaryono, I, Wijayanti, D, Risqi, H. Number of response options, reliability, validity, and potential bias in the use of the Likert Scale Education and Social Science Research: a literature review. Int J Educ Methodol 2022;8:625–37. https://doi.org/10.12973/ijem.8.4.625.Search in Google Scholar
4. Liu, M, Conrad, FG. An experiment testing six formats of 101-point rating scales. Comput Hum Behav 2016;55:364–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.09.036.Search in Google Scholar
© 2023 the author(s), published by De Gruyter, Berlin/Boston
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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- Letters to the Editor
- Osteopathic manipulative treatment for the allopathic resident elective: comments on survey selection
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Medical Education
- Original Article
- An osteopathic orientation to interprofessional education
- Commentary
- Where are the Black men in osteopathic medical schools?
- Musculoskeletal Medicine and Pain
- Original Article
- Limb spasticity and telemedicine consultation for reconstructive surgery: patient perspectives of surgical assessment
- Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine (OMT)
- Original Article
- Investigating the safety and feasibility of osteopathic manipulative medicine in hospitalized children and adolescent young adults with cancer
- Pediatrics
- Original Article
- Food insecurity and childhood outcomes: a cross-sectional analysis of 2016–2020 National Survey of Children’s Health data
- Letters to the Editor
- Osteopathic manipulative treatment for the allopathic resident elective: comments on survey selection
- Response to “Osteopathic manipulative treatment for the allopathic resident elective: comments on survey selection”
