Evaluation of an Osteopathic Procedure in the Management of Pain in Palliative Care Patients in a Mobile Palliative Care Support Team (EMASP): Controlled, Randomized, Single-blind Study

The culture of the palliative is anchored more and more in France. In 2009, nearly 9 out of 10 French people (89%) believe that palliative care can reduce the suffering of people at the end of their lives. Despite the rise of palliative care in France, their access is not homogeneous between regions. In 2010, it is estimated that 2 French out of 3 likely to receive palliative care could not access it. Palliative care remains essential at the end of the patient's life, as well as for the family and caregivers.

The French government has put in place three national palliative care development programs: 2002-2005, 2008-2012, 2015-2018. The last program has unlocked a budget of 190 million euros for their development. It has been estimated from Social Security reimbursements, that the costs per patient over their last years of life are 26,000 euros, for a total of 13.5 million euros.

One of the most important aspects of palliative care is the comfort of the patients as well as their feelings in the care.

In order to best meet the expectations of cancer patients, some offer early palliative care that is effective in improving both the quality of life of the patient and its life expectancy.

Osteopathy is a manual alternative medicine whose goal is to restore the lack of mobility of tissues. It can be used as a complementary treatment when a specific support is put in place. The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of osteopathy in the reduction of pain in adult patients in palliative care.