Thematic Analysis of Attitudes Held by a Group of Italian Osteopaths Toward Osteopathic Evaluation, Treatment, and Management in the Neonatal and Pediatric Field: A Qualitative Study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes held by a group of Italian osteopaths toward osteopathic evaluation, treatment, and management in the neonatal and pediatric field.

A thematic analysis with elements of grounded-theory approaches was used. Purposive sampling was used to recruit expert osteopaths in the neonatal and pediatric field. Data were gathered from July 2017 to January 2018 by individual semistructured interviews and transcribed verbatim. A thematic analysis of the data was then performed. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research checklist was used to structure the design of this qualitative study.

Eight osteopaths participated. Data analysis generated 3 main themes: the role of the osteopath in the collaborative process of care, osteopathic diagnostic-clinical reasoning in the neonatal and pediatric field, and osteopathic treatment in the neonatal and pediatric field.

The present study highlights that Italian osteopaths may prefer interprofessional and integrative activities aimed at supporting adaptive capacity and resilience for pediatric patients.