Project: Osteopathic Clinical Reasoning Network (OCRN)

The Idea is to provide osteopathic scientists with an ‘easy to use‘ digital framework to design and execute clinical trials. Scientists and students could meet on an internet-based platform to create and discuss study-protocols that result in input masks for their data-collection. With the collected data, statistical analysis can be performed and published in the network for discussion and further use - e.g. the reproduction of studies.

Crowd-sourcing can be used to generate large populations with enough power to develop statistically and clinically relevant trials - for example via multi-center randomized controlled trials. The resulting input masks can be used simultaneously by different researchers to record and merge data.

The Idea of the OCRN is to create a bottom-up approach for developing osteopathic clinical principles. Scientists and students are free to design their trial approaches, such as documentation of assessments and interventions according to their ideas - in an ‘easy to use‘ way. The aim of OCRN is to take osteopathic trial design a step further, harnessing the creative power of future osteopaths.

I personally think the concept of OCRN should be a vital part of the e-learning path in osteopathy. It could be implemented in an e-learning platform and teach students a cooperative approach to science right from the beginning.

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Tom Koch, BSc.(Ost), BSc.(Phys)

Tom Koch’s special interest is the design of clinical and pragmatic studies in the osteopathic field. His research is mainly concerned about the documentation and statistical analysis of osteopathic findings and results. His main goal in this area is to find ways to keep osteopathy alive and still create valid internal and external study designs.

Tom works in private practice in Basel, Switzerland.