From Fort Worth to Vienna, Dr. Mason shares integrated approach to Osteopathic Medicine

It would be hard to find a more well-rounded expert on the domestic side for osteopathic medicine than David Mason, DO, MBA, CPPS, FACOFP, so it should not be a surprise that he was invited to teach a three-day course overseas on integrating osteopathic medicine into medical practice in Austria. The chief medical officer for growth and development at UNT Health Clinical Practice Group and a professor at UNT Health Fort Worth's Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine spent three days teaching in the capital city of Vienna.

Mason was working with other physicians who knew how to perform a wide range of osteopathic manipulative techniques but wanted to learn more ways to implement their skills and knowledge into their practice. He also found something different with this group of physicians who are not DOs.

“They were very good at OMT,” Mason said. “This was different for me because usually I am teaching novices when it comes to manipulative techniques. They have such a strong basic level requirement and continue to take many courses; they were all very good at applying osteopathic techniques. They often did not know when to stop treating their partners. They needed coaching about what techniques to select and then be confident that their limited time and specific techniques would support their patients' bodies in restoring and maintaining health.”

Unlike in the United States, where students can attend osteopathic medical schools and graduate as a doctor of osteopathic medicine, Germany and Austria do not have osteopathic medical schools. Instead, physicians earn M.D. degrees and can pursue additional education and certification in osteopathic medicine after completing medical school and residency.

The German American Academy for Osteopathy, or DAAO, was established in 2001 to help standardize osteopathic education for physicians in German-speaking countries. Its members complete extensive postgraduate training, with the basic courses alone requiring a minimum of 380 teaching hours and additional advanced courses bringing the total education to more than 700 hours.

The physicians Mason taught reflected that depth of training. They included orthopedic surgeons, foot and ankle specialists, physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians, primary care physicians, and a dentist. They were experienced practitioners who already possessed strong osteopathic skills.

But they told Mason they faced a challenge he recognized immediately.

“They feel they have a great education in diagnosis and techniques, but they are not given patient-centered scenarios on how to add these skills to their practices,” Mason said.

It was a challenge Mason had encountered earlier in his own career.

When he and his colleagues began practicing and teaching osteopathic medicine, they recognized that osteopathic principles were often presented as an addition to everything else students learned in medical school. Working with Millicent K. Channell, DO, Mason helped develop a different approach, integrating osteopathic concepts, evaluation, and treatment into systems-based medical education.
That work eventually contributed to the 5-Minute Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Consult, now in its third edition.

At TCOM, that philosophy became an important part of a broader curriculum transformation. Beginning in 2010, TCOM began integrating osteopathic concepts throughout its students’ education rather than treating osteopathic medicine as something separate from the rest of medicine.

Mason brought that same philosophy to Vienna.

Several physicians told Mason they had been trained by highly respected osteopathic physicians who operated almost exclusively in osteopathic practices and could spend an hour with each patient. While that model provided an opportunity for extensive osteopathic care, the physicians in Vienna said it was difficult to replicate in their own practices. They appreciated learning how to incorporate osteopathic treatment into a realistic clinical encounter—one in which physicians have limited time but still want to provide meaningful, patient-centered care.

Mason’s experience in Vienna also allowed him to learn from his European colleagues. The physicians described healthcare systems that, in some ways, resemble the United States, with both government and private health insurance. Osteopathic manipulation is a service physicians can provide, and insurance can cover it as part of patient care.

“The U.S. healthcare system is broken,” Mason said. “It’s the most expensive healthcare in the world, but I don’t think Europe is heading toward our system. They see a need for musculoskeletal care using non-surgical treatments. Their patients are looking for non-pharmaceutical, non-surgical ways to get well and remain healthy.”

Osteopathic medicine began spreading to Europe more than a century ago, including the establishment of the British School of Osteopathy in 1917. Today, organizations such as the DAAO continue advancing osteopathic education among physicians in German-speaking countries.

For Mason, hearing the concerns of the physicians and being able to address them made the trip worthwhile.

“I received very positive feedback,” Mason said. “One very specific comment by several of the learners was that they are taught by the best osteopathic physicians who only do Osteopathic Medical Practices and spend an hour with each patient. They do not feel this is realistic and voiced their appreciation for how to approach patients in a time-efficient way and be confident that they are helping the patient.”

Today, faculty at TCOM help weave osteopathic principles and practices throughout the curriculum model that has also positioned them as leaders in osteopathic medical education nationally. Now, Mason is hoping that with trips and opportunities to teach, the way of thinking about the patient, when integrated effectively, will become a way of practicing medicine overseas too.