Description of interventions is under-reported in physical therapy clinical trials

Abstract

Highlights•A clear definition and description of the interventions in randomized controlled trials are pre-requisites for implementation in clinical practice.•There is a trend among investigators to describe control group interventions poorly compared to the experimental group.•The readers would not be able to apply the findings of the trial to their clinical practice if the interventions are poorly described.

The influence of dosing on effect size of exercise therapy for musculoskeletal foot and ankle disorders: a systematic review

“…As a result, attempts to duplicate specific dosing in the clinic may prove futile. 45 Having valid dosing information, however, better informs clinical practice. It also allows for modification of dosing in future trials, to understand which variables are best.…”

Clinical and scientific recommendations for the use of photobiomodulation therapy in exercise performance enhancement and post-exercise recovery: current evidence and future directions

“…We strongly recommend the attention of researchers to perform the prospective register of study protocol (and to publish the protocol in peer-reviewed journals when possible), 38,39 to follow the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) guidelines when designing the trials, and the use of the TIDieR checklist (template for intervention description and replication) to confirm if all items required were reported in the manuscript before submission. 40,41 This is a way to reduce reporting bias and assist the authors to follow an adequate, clear, and transparent reporting of data and study design.…”

Description of low back pain clinical trials in physical therapy: a cross sectional study

“…10 In order to implement treatments for low back pain, randomized controlled trials should follow adequate reporting and methodological guidelines. 11 The methodological quality of physical therapy randomized controlled trials varies across different subdisciplines. 12 The methodological quality of trials in musculoskeletal physical therapy has been associated with endorsement of reporting recommendations (i.e.…”

“…In addition, it is important to understand the strengths and weaknesses of those trials. 11 Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to describe the main characteristics of low back pain randomized controlled trials on PEDro, and to rank the journals where these trials were published according to their Impact Factor. Our secondary objective was to analyze the correlation between trials methodological quality and journals Impact Factor.…”