MD VS DO: Difference in Treatment
You may have recently gone to a hospital and noticed that your attending doctor was not an MD, but a DO. When most people think of doctors, they think of MD’s -- medical doctors; not many people are knowledgeable about the DO degree, which stands for doctor of osteopathy. You might think, does being seen by a doctor with a DO degree provide a different quality of care than an MD doctor? The short answer is that both MD and DO doctors are equally qualified to treat whatever ailment you may have. However, the way they approach health, and problems with health, are slightly different.
Both MD’s and DO’s go through similar undergraduate trajectories, attend medical school for 4 years and go on to joining residency programs, which range from 3 to 7 years, depending on their specialties. Both doctors receive certifications from the same state licensing boards, and can practice in all states within the U.S.
However, they practice different kinds of medicine. MD’s practice allopathic medicine, which is, per Merriam Webster Dictionary, “ a system of medical practice that aims to combat disease by use of remedies (as drugs or surgery) producing effects different from or incompatible with those produced by the disease being treated.” Osteopathic medicine, which DO’s practice, emphasizes preventing disease and promoting health, and are known for the holistic treatment of individuals. They practice a more holistic approach, considering numerous factors of a patient’s life and circumstances -- environment, diet, lifestyle -- when looking at a health condition a patient may have. DO’s learn specifically to listen to their patients and help them become healthy and stay healthy.
Their differences in treatment can be exemplified by the following example -- a patient walks into a medical facility with back pain. An MD doctor would perhaps encourage the patient to take painkillers, but a DO doctor may be more inclined to help the patient improve daily habits and to use physical manipulation techniques to alleviate the pain.
One significant difference between the two doctors is that DO’s receive specialized training dedicated to the musculoskeletal system. DO doctors have an additional 200 hours of coursework for osteopathic manipulation techniques, which involves a solid understanding of the musculoskeletal system. DO’s also learn hands-on methods to alleviate pain, improve the body’s functioning and restore motion. This is much like a description of physical therapy, in fact. Other than this, there is no significant difference in the curriculum of DO and MD programs.
In summary, there is no difference in quality of treatment that you would receive from a doctor with a DO or MD degree. However, they have different approaches to medicine, and it is up to patients to see which approach would be better for them.
References:
https://www.aacom.org/become-a-doctor/about-osteopathic-medicine
