The 2002 Romanow Report identified the promotion of overall wellness and a focus on prevention as critical elements to achieving sustainable health care in Canada. All practitioners within the health care system, including registered massage therapists (RMTs), play an instrumental role in helping to realize this mandate. Further research on the state of the Massage Therapy profession in Canada led me to the “Massage Therapy and Canadians’ Health Care Needs 2020: Proceedings of a National Research Priority Setting Summit”. This research states that: - “Tremendous progress has been made in the field of MT research; however, researchers suggest that there is still a long way to go, and both the quantity and the quality of MT research need to …show more content…
- There is more work to be done in educating practitioners so that they become comfortable reading and applying the MT literature. Another reason for limited research uptake might be that the profession has not yet investigated topics that massage therapists view as important to the profession. - If massage therapists wish to provide the best possible care to their clients and want to see the profession evolve, more rigorous research is needed.” By making a commitment to actively contribute to the research body of work within the field of massage therapy, I hope to enhance the client care experience and expand the scope of influence of RMTs within the overall health care system. High-quality research can help to educate the general public, as well as other health care professionals. I believe this heightened understanding can lead to greater adoption of massage therapy for health and wellness outcomes and, ultimately, to less strain on the health care system. “Incorporate scientific research to my approach with patients to provide the best known treatment that will yield effective long-term …show more content…
Many strive to be more informed by seeking out information, reviewing research, obtaining second opinions, exploring treatment options, and evaluating practices and practitioners within the health care system before even making an appointment. By contributing to the research body of work within the field, RMTs can ensure current and prospective clients can readily access the information they need to make informed decisions about their treatment and their overall health goals. Clients are expecting to achieve measurable change or improvement in their health as a result of treatment, and they are looking for evidence from scientific inquiry to support their treatment decision, not simply anecdotal support or referral. Every client and client experience contributes to the research body of work in the field in some way. Many clients will come to an RMT with an acute symptom; whether it be pain, tension, limited range of motion, migraines or poor circulation, and they will be hoping to leave their session with some degree of symptom relief. College of Massage Therapist of British Columbia's scope of practice definition for massage therapy in BC read: “The practice of massage therapy is the assessment [and diagnosis] of soft tissue and joints of the body and the treatment and prevention of dysfunction, injury, pain and physical disorders of the soft tissues