Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68175
THE MASSAGE THERAPY BODY OF KNOWLEDGE (MTBOK) DOCUMENT IS AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING AND COMMENT AT WWW.MTBOK.ORG. Massage Therapy Guidelines The Conversation about Best Practices In addition to the massage therapy body of knowledge (MTBOK) project, another group of industry leaders has been discussing what "best practices" guidelines for massage therapy might look like. Heading up the project is John Balletto, cochair of the Massage Therapy Foundation's Best Practices Committee. Best practices guidelines, Balletto says, are developed with the massage community's body of knowledge in mind. "Best practices guidelines reflect how our work is successfully practiced in the field when decision-making is guided by evidence from practice, from science, and from client/patient values," he says. "Our process is to develop best practices guidelines that are based on the knowledge stored in the current and historic literature and the collective wisdom of the professionals in practice." Why best practices, and why now? "Actually, I think we're late," Balletto says. "Most other professions already have significant best practices documents. Many also have enforceable standards of care to which members of the profession are held accountable." He says as therapeutic massage continues to make its way into health-care and wellness communities, best practices guidelines are necessary. "The public is seeking the services of trained professionals. It makes sense that we, as professionals and as a profession, should know how current practicing professionals best, or most successfully, address situations and conditions with which we are presented on a daily basis." Best, Balletto explains, means realizing the outcomes that are mutually desired completed) will be widely distributed to the profession at large for review and two rounds of public comment. Only after significant consensus is reached will the guidelines be sent to the National Guidelines Clearinghouse (a division of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality). "This consensus by the profession at large," Balletto says, "ensures protection of what is significant and unique to the profession of therapeutic massage." by both the practitioner and client/patient. To ascertain what those best practices are, leaders are gathering information from the literature, as well as from clinicians, research scientists, and educators to develop suggested guidelines on how to achieve those desired "best" results. The guidelines will not be mandated, required, or enforceable, Balletto says, but will be a "universally accessible resource offering guidance collected from the wisdom and experiences of practitioners, educators, and researchers that have successfully addressed similar situations and presentations." Balletto says like the MTBOK, a draft of the best practices guidelines (once The result will help students better compare schools and curricula, and as more schools join the conversation, the more the MTBOK can be refined. RESEARCH IMPLICATIONS With a background in research, Sefton says she is especially excited about the impact the MTBOK will have on the profession's research arm. "As a profession, I believe our future will be determined by our ability to complete high quality research that supports our claims of therapy efficacy and benefits," she says. She explains that some researchers and legislators are trying to limit funding for the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine with the reasoning that funding for CAM research is being wasted on sham treatments. "We must work as a profession for increased research support," she says. "Health-care professions are defined by their research base. As massage therapists, it is important that we do our own research and drive our own profession forward, rather than letting physical therapists, physicians, or others guide our future." But Sefton does not intend for every MT to be entrenched in research. "Let me be clear—we do not want to make all massage therapists researchers. However, it is vital that as massage therapy professionals, we are taught to read the research, determine if it is good work, and if it is, utilize these findings and communicate the contents to our clients and to other health-care providers. This is the way we will drive and move our profession forward." By advocating for research awareness within the profession, the MTBOK is helping move that effort nearer the goal line. CHANGES TO ENTRY LEVEL Many MTs wonder how the MTBOK will change the profession today. "The MTBOK will not have an immediate impact on the practicing MT," Pierce says. Entry level is not going to change that much, as the entry level described in the MTBOK is very consistent with the current profession standards, he explains. "In order for a change to get into the system, it has to be recognized as a value, built into a curriculum, taught to students, and it will be a length of time before it goes to the core," Shea says. The process of incorporating new guidelines takes time, Pierce adds. A curriculum adjustment typically takes a year to be incorporated into a school program. "That alone will prevent anything from shocking the system," he says. Eventually the definition the MTBOK provides and the scope of practice guidelines will be better understood across the profession and within state laws. "The level at which these things are taught and enforced on a regulatory level is where you will see the biggest change," Pierce says. LEGITIMACY STRENGTHENED Part of the process of creating the MTBOK was understanding its potential to shape the future of massage therapy. "It's a catalyst for further evolution of the profession," Pierce says. Susan Salvo, director of the Louisiana Institute of Massage connect with your colleagues on massageprofessionals.com 49