People often visit with an osteopath as a result of a referral from a friend.
In Australia, there are now laws which do not allow health care practitioners from advertising these referrals or testimonials on their sites.
This is designed to protect people from heightened expectations that may not be met by any health care professional. Every person comes into a clinic with a unique set of circumstances and the reality is that treatment results will very from person to person.
The internet, however, does allow people to talk about their experiences online.
One of these online sites is ‘Whitecoat’ provided by the private health fund which does not breach the law in regard to testimonials
Registration on Whitecoat does not breach the law regarding testimonials, and Whitecoat has frequently consulted with a range of industry bodies and stakeholders, including the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) to seek their guidance around customer reviews. We are confident that because Whitecoat operates as a forum for patients to exchange their views about their overall service experience, health practitioners will not be considered to be engaging in advertising contrary to the law. Whitecoat seeks feedback from customers in an objective, contemporaneous manner, and as the individual provider does not seek the review this is not a breach of the law. The objective questions are based on customer experience and are not clinical in nature, and all comments are moderated to ensure compliance with all laws, including clinical feedback. All Whitecoat reviews are also moderated to ensure that they remain anonymous and ethical.
Here is a link to Whitecoat reviews for me:
https://www.whitecoat.com.au/osteopath/nsw/sydney/green/2861