OsMoSys Project

The Osteopathic Models Synthesis (OsMoSys) project is an international mixed-methods research programme exploring how osteopathic models are understood, prioritised, and applied in undergraduate education and clinical practice across diverse regulatory and educational contexts. The project aims to identify shared viewpoints among osteopathic educators and clinicians regarding the relevance of conceptual and theoretical models that inform osteopathic reasoning, teaching, and practice. The OsMoSys project uses Q-methodology to examine patterns of subjective judgement, supported by a subsequent qualitative workshop phase to deepen interpretation of the identified viewpoints. Together, these stages aim to provide an empirically grounded synthesis of osteopathic models and to support transparent, evidence-informed discussion about their role in education and practice. This OSF project contains the core methodological documents underpinning the Q-sort stage of the study, including: (1) the Q-methodology study protocol; (2) the Osteopathic Model Glossary defining the 45 models used in the Q-sort; and (3) the inclusion and exclusion decision criteria document used to define, classify, and refine osteopathic models for inclusion in the final Q-set. These materials are shared to support transparency, reproducibility, and open research practice.