Core journals that publish clinical trials of physical therapy interventions

Reporting of sex and/or gender in randomised controlled trials of physiotherapy interventions remains problematic: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Little is known about how sex and/or gender is reported in trials on physiotherapy interventions.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the nature and extent of reporting sex and/or gender information in randomised controlled trials of physiotherapy interventions.

DATA SOURCES

Physiotherapy, Journal of Physiotherapy, Physical Therapy, Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy, and Journal of Orthopaedics and Sports Physical Therapy.

STUDY SELECTION OR ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Randomised controlled trials of physiotherapy interventions published between 2018 and 2024 were independently screened by two reviewers throughout title/abstract and full-text stages, then data were extracted from eligible full texts. Information on whether and how sex and/or gender data were collected, reported, and defined were extracted.

SYNTHESIS METHODS

Data were analysed descriptively using frequencies and percentages.

RESULTS

Of 182 studies included in the review, 153 studies did not have sex and/or gender exclusive recruitment. Of these, 136 studies (89%) used the terms "sex" or "gender" when reporting demographic characteristics. Three studies used the term "sex assigned at birth". When reporting sex and/or gender, 82/139 (59%) studies provided two descriptors for sex and/or gender (e.g., male and female; men and women), 39/139 (28%) studies provided one descriptor (e.g., female) despite not being sex and/or gender exclusive. Four studies provided more than 2 descriptors (e.g., transgender women). In all studies, it was unclear how sex and/or gender was defined. In all but three studies, it was unclear how sex and/or gender was collected and whether data collection methods allowed for gender diverse options (e.g., non-binary) to be selected.

LIMITATIONS

Only 5 journals were surveyed.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS OF KEY FINDINGS

The lack of inclusive reporting of gender and/or sex characteristics limits the scope and applicability of research in physiotherapy to the full spectrum of human experiences.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION

CRD42022383976. CONTRIBUTION OF THE PAPER.

Evaluation of Transparency and Openness Guidelines in Physical Therapist Journals

OBJECTIVE

The goals of this study were to evaluate the extent that physical therapist journals support open science research practices by adhering to the Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP) guidelines and to assess the relationship between journal scores and their respective journal impact factor (JIF).

METHODS

Scimago, mapping studies, the National Library of Medicine, and journal author guidelines were searched to identify physical therapist journals for inclusion. Journals were graded on 10 standards (29 available total points) related to transparency with data, code, research materials, study design and analysis, preregistration of studies and statistical analyses, replication, and open science badges. The relationship between journal transparency and openness scores and their JIF was determined.

RESULTS

Thirty-five journals' author guidelines were assigned transparency and openness factor scores. The median score (interquartile range) across journals was 3.00 out of 29 (3.00) points (for all journals the scores ranged from 0 to 8). The 2 standards with the highest degree of implementation were design and analysis transparency (reporting guidelines) and study preregistration. No journals reported on code transparency, materials transparency, replication, and open science badges. TOP factor scores were a significant predictor of JIF scores.

CONCLUSION

There is low implementation of the TOP standards by physical therapist journals. TOP factor scores demonstrated predictive abilities for JIF scores. Policies from journals must improve to make open science practices the standard in research. Journals are in an influential position to guide practices that can improve the rigor of publication which, ultimately, enhances the evidence-based information used by physical therapists.

IMPACT

Transparent, open, and reproducible research will move the profession forward by improving the quality of research and increasing the confidence in results for implementation in clinical care.

Mapping the field of physical therapy and identification of the leading active producers. A bibliometric analysis of the period 2000- 2018

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the study were: 1) Describe the thematic structure and evolution of the field of physical therapy; 2) identify the main research producers (i.e. countries and institutions); and 3) compare their research output and citation impact.

METHODS

Papers related to physical therapy indexed in Web of Science (2000-2018) were identified to delineate the field, using keywords, journals, and citation networks. VOSviewer software, advanced bibliometric text mining, and visualization techniques were used to evaluate the thematic structure. We collected data about the country and institutional affiliation of all the authors and calculated production and citation impact indicators.

RESULTS

85,697 papers were analyzed. Eleven thematic clusters were identified: 1) "health care and education"; 2) "biomechanics"; 3) "psychosocial, chronic pain and quality of life outcomes"; 4) "evidence-based physical therapy research methods"; 5) "traumatology and orthopedics"; 6) "neurological rehabilitation"; 7) "psychometrics and cross-cultural adaptation"; 8) "gait-balance analysis and Parkinson's disease"; 9) "exercise"; 10) "respiratory physical therapy"; and 11) "back pain." The United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia were the most productive countries. Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden had the highest citation impact.

CONCLUSIONS

Our bibliometric visualization approach makes it possible to comprehensively study the thematic structure of physical therapy. The ranking of producers has evolved and now includes China and Brazil. High research production does not imply a high citation impact.

Evolution of the thematic structure and main producers of physical therapy interventions research: A bibliometric analysis (1986 to 2017)

BACKGROUND

Bibliometric studies are used to analyse and map scientific areas, and study the scientific output and impact of institutes and countries.

OBJECTIVES

Describe the thematic structure and evolution of the field of physical therapy interventions using articles indexed in Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro). Also, identify and compare the main producers (countries, institutions) over time (research output, citation impact).

METHODS

Eligible articles were those indexed in PEDro (1986-2017) and matched to Web of Science. VOSviewer software, bibliometric text mining, and visualisation techniques were used to evaluate the thematic structure of the included articles. We collected data about authors' country and institutional affiliation, and calculated bibliometric indicators (production, citation impact).

RESULTS

A total of 29 090 articles were analysed. Eight topics were identified: "neurological rehabilitation"; "methods"; "exercise for prevention and rehabilitation of lifestyle diseases"; "assessment and treatment of musculoskeletal pain"; "physical activity", "health promotion and behaviour change"; "respiratory physical therapy"; "hospital, primary care and health economics"; "cancer and complementary therapies". The most productive countries were United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. The most impactful countries were United States, France, Finland, and Canada. The most productive institutions were University of Sydney, VU University of Amsterdam, University of Queensland, and University of Toronto.

CONCLUSIONS

The thematic structure of physical therapy interventions has evolved over time with "neurological rehabilitation", "methods", "exercise related to lifestyle diseases", and "physical activity" becoming increasingly important. Main producers of this research were traditionally located in North America and Europe but now include countries like China and Brazil.

Espí-López G. Bibliometric analysis of productivity and keyword trends of articles on physical therapy and aging (1990-2014)

Introduction

The increase in population longevity has led the subject of ageing to take an important role in research and innovation policies. Considerable efforts have been made worldwide to promote research on physiotherapy and ageing. Therefore, applying bibliometric measures can be useful to identify emerging and innovative scientific indicators. This study identifies productivity and topic trends in physiotherapy in ageing and the main publishing authors, institutions, and countries.

Methods

A bibliometric analysis was applied in original articles published on the Science Citation Index Expanded of Web of Science Core Collection (1990–2014). Bibliometric indicators were obtained by using specific bibliometric software. Pearsons’ correlation coefficient (r) was applied for correlations; statistical significance was considered for <i>p</i> < 0.01.

Results

Overall, 2237 original articles were included. Topic trends show an initial focus on illness and evolve towards the study of prevention. Authors and institutions increased productivity and citation. The most productive country was the United States, and there was a significant correlation between productivity and gross domestic product (<i>p</i> < 0.01). No statistically significant relationship was observed between productivity and the countries’ aged population.

Conclusions

Productivity increased, with a greater scientific interest in prevention. The published research was mainly related to wealthy and developed countries.

Perfil de formação e produção científica do fisioterapeuta pesquisador no Brasil

RESUMO O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o perfil de formação e produção científica do fisioterapeuta pesquisador brasileiro. Trata-se de um estudo transversal, realizado por meio de levantamento dos currículos profissionais cadastrados na Plataforma Lattes do Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), atualizados nos últimos 5 anos. As principais variáveis analisadas foram sexo, distribuição dos fisioterapeutas pelo Brasil, tipo de instituição de graduação, local de atuação, formação complementar, produções científicas e participação em eventos. Foram encontrados 47.741 currículos, dos quais 17.864 estavam dentro dos critérios de seleção da pesquisa e foram analisados. Predominaram fisioterapeutas do sexo feminino (75,5%) e da região Sudeste (35%). A maioria é graduada em instituições privadas (75%), realizou pós-graduação lato sensu (61,4%) e trabalhou em universidades (30%). Existem diferenças entre os sexos com relação às produções, os eventos e a formação complementar, com o melhor desempenho do sexo masculino (p<0,001) - os graduados em instituição pública têm mais produções, eventos e atividades de formação complementar (p<0,001). Os profissionais graduados em instituições privadas, porém, realizam mais cursos de pós-graduação lato sensu (p=0,05). Conclui-se, portanto, que a maioria dos fisioterapeutas pesquisadores do Brasil é do sexo feminino, graduada na região Sudeste, formada em instituições privadas, realizou pós-graduação lato sensu e trabalha em universidades. Apesar da maioria feminina, os profissionais do sexo masculino e os formados em instituições públicas apresentam maior quantidade de produções, participações em eventos e formações complementares.

Bibliometric analysis of core journals which publish articles of physical therapy on aging

OBJECTIVE

Increase in population's longevity has led to considerable efforts worldwide on physical therapy aging research. The aim of this study is to identify which are the main scientific journals, as well as the most productive authors, institutions and keywords related to the journals, that have published about physical therapy and aging.

METHODS

Original articles published from 1990 to 2014 were retrieved from the bibliographic database Science Citation Index Expanded of Web of Science Core Collection. After standardization of the bibliographic information, a series of bibliometric indicators was obtained regarding authors, institutions, citation and keywords of the core journals using bibliometric software. The PAJEK network analysis program was used for graphic representation.

RESULTS

A total of 2,237 original articles are included in this analysis. The number of identified journals is 573, with an average growth of publishing journals throughout the studied period of 9.41%. Bradford's distribution shows 12 core journals, out of which 41.67% have published constantly all throughout the 25-year period, being the most productive one Physical Therapy. Fritz, Julie M is the most productive author, and University of Sydney the most productive institution. The keyword exercise is used in an outstanding way.

CONCLUSIONS

The productivity trends provided an indication of the greater scientific interest of physical therapy in aging as a line of research. Collectively, the data indicated that physical therapy-specific journals are being consolidated but non-specific are still a significant research source, and that a fundamental element of their research includes exercise and movement.

A methodological survey on reporting of pilot and feasibility trials for physiotherapy interventions: a study protocol

INTRODUCTION

Pilot and feasibility trials aim to test whether a full trial can be conducted or if any procedures must be changed for the full trial. Pilot trials must be reported in a transparent, accurate and complete way. In this report, we present a protocol for a methodological survey with the following aims: (1) to determine the percentage of physiotherapy trial reports which claim to be pilot or feasibility trials that evaluate feasibility, (2) to determine the aspect of feasibility evaluated in the primary objectives of the pilot or feasibility trials, (3) to describe the completeness of reporting of abstracts and full articles of pilot or feasibility trials using the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) extension to randomised pilot and feasibility trials and (4) to investigate factors associated with completeness of reporting of pilot or feasibility trials.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

Reports of randomised controlled trials indexed in the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) that claim to be pilot or feasibility trials and published in 2011-2017 will be included. Two independent reviewers will confirm eligibility and classify the aspect of feasibility being evaluated in the objectives of the included pilot or feasibility trials. Completeness of reporting of both the abstract and the full article will be evaluated using the CONSORT extension to randomised pilot and feasibility trials. The primary analysis will be a descriptive analysis about the reporting quality of abstracts and full texts of pilot and feasibility trials. We will use generalised estimating equation analysis to explore factors associated with completeness of reporting.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The results of this study will be disseminated by presentation at conferences and will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Ethical approval is not necessary for this study.

Evolution of physiotherapy scholarship: A comparative bibliometric analysis of two decades of English published work

OBJECTIVES

To undertake a bibliometric analysis of the physiotherapy literature at two points in time to identify similarities, differences, and the evolution of scholarship over a 40-year time-frame.

METHOD

To undertake a quantitative comparative analysis of the published and indexed scholarship literature contained within Scopus relating to physiotherapy over two 10-year time windows-1978-1987 and 2008-2017. The method used, bibliometrics, is capable of identifying the nature of scholarship, the key actors, and how the focus and methods used to conduct studies have changed. A specialized bibliographic analysis and visualization tool VosViewer (University of Leiden) was used to analyse the extracted results.

RESULTS

There has been a more than 10-fold increase in the number of papers published across the two time-frames (3,384 from the 1978 to 1987 period and 38,434 from 2008 to 2017). The focus of publication has moved from a medical disease orientated approach to one more specifically looking at physiotherapy interventions aimed at addressing functional ability. In addition, a more diverse range of research approaches are being used as well as efforts to synthesize findings across multiple studies using systematic reviews and meta-analytical techniques. Authors now come from a much wider range of countries than they did 40 years ago, and they are more likely to be part of a large international collaborative research teams.

CONCLUSIONS

This unique and comprehensive analysis of physiotherapy scholarship across two different timeframes has provided important insights into the evolution of the profession, its changing focus and methodological approaches as well as the dramatic increase in activity, growth in research teams and diversity of country origins. For anyone entering the profession at this time, it provides a perspective on the pace of change they are likely to experience in their career ahead.

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

OBJECTIVE

To describe the main characteristics of low back pain randomized controlled trials on the Physiotherapy Evidence Database, and to rank the journals where these trials were published according to their Impact Factor.

METHODS

This is a cross sectional study based on a collection of randomized controlled trials. A random sample of 200 low back pain trials published between 2010 and 2015 were selected from Physiotherapy Evidence Database in February 2016. We collected the following main characteristics of trials: 2015 journal Impact Factor; if the paper was published as open access; CONSORT recommendations endorsement by the journal; methodological quality and statistical reporting measured by the 0-10 items Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale. Data was analyzed descriptively.

RESULTS

Trials were published in journals with a mean Impact Factor of 2.5 (SD 2.5), from which 55.5% endorsed the CONSORT recommendations. The methodological quality was moderate with 5.8 points (SD 1.6). The top 3 journals according to Impact Factor were: (1) British Medical Journal; (2) Annals of Internal Medicine; and (3) BMC Medicine. Only 6 out of 97 journals publishing low back pain trials combined the following factors: journal Impact Factor higher than 2.0, mean trial methodological quality higher than 6.0 points, endorse CONSORT recommendations and offering papers as open access.

CONCLUSION

Clinicians interested in low back pain trials must look for a wide variety of healthcare journals. A substantial number of low back pain randomized controlled trials did not follow adequate reporting and methodological recommendations.

Adherence to Back Pain Clinical Practice Guidelines by Brazilian Physical Therapists: A Cross-sectional Study

STUDY DESIGN

This was a cross-sectional observational study.

OBJECTIVES

(i) to investigate whether Brazilian physical therapists make clinical decisions for patients with low back pain based upon clinical practice guidelines and (ii) to determine whether the physical therapists are able to recognize differential diagnoses of low back pain associated with red or yellow flags.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA

Early adherence to clinical practice guidelines may accelerate recovery and reduce the costs associated with low back pain. It is unknown whether Brazilian physical therapists follow clinical practice guidelines to make their clinical decisions in the treatment of patients with low back pain.

METHODS

The sample consisted of physical therapists from two Brazilian physical therapy associations. The data were collected via electronic survey and face-to-face interviews. The survey was composed of six hypothetical clinical cases of low back pain, which served as a basis to evaluate clinical decisions and adherence to clinical practice guidelines for low back pain. The study participants had 27 possible answers for each clinical case and could choose up to five answers. The results were analyzed in three ways: full adherence, partial adherence, or no adherence to the recommendations from clinical practice guidelines.

RESULTS

A total of 530 physical therapists were invited and 189 participated in the study (response rate = 35.6%). Full adherence to the guidelines was low for all six cases (rates ranging from 5%-24%). Partial adherence to the guidelines was higher when compared with full adherence (rates ranging from 32%-75%). The participants were more likely to identify differential diagnoses associated with yellow flags than with red flags.

CONCLUSION

Brazilian physical therapists are not using the best available evidence in their clinical decision making for patients with low back pain. Wider dissemination of clinical practice guidelines should be urgently undertaken.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

2.

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

•

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.

Background

Amongst several barriers to the application of quality clinical evidence and clinical guidelines into routine daily practice, poor description of interventions reported in clinical trials has received less attention. Although some studies have investigated the completeness of descriptions of non-pharmacological interventions in randomized trials, studies that exclusively analyzed physical therapy interventions reported in published trials are scarce.

Objectives

To evaluate the quality of descriptions of interventions in both experimental and control groups in randomized controlled trials published in four core physical therapy journals.

Methods

We included all randomized controlled trials published from the Physical Therapy Journal, Journal of Physiotherapy, Clinical Rehabilitation, and Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation between June 2012 and December 2013. Each randomized controlled trial (RCT) was analyzed and coded for description of interventions using the checklist developed by Schroter et al.

Results

Out of 100 RCTs selected, only 35 RCTs (35%) fully described the interventions in both the intervention and control groups. Control group interventions were poorly described in the remaining RCTs (65%).

Conclusions

Interventions, especially in the control group, are poorly described in the clinical trials published in leading physical therapy journals. A complete description of the intervention in a published report is crucial for physical therapists to be able to use the intervention in clinical practice.

Specialist Bibliographic Databases

Specialist bibliographic databases offer essential online tools for researchers and authors who work on specific subjects and perform comprehensive and systematic syntheses of evidence. This article presents examples of the established specialist databases, which may be of interest to those engaged in multidisciplinary science communication. Access to most specialist databases is through subscription schemes and membership in professional associations. Several aggregators of information and database vendors, such as EBSCOhost and ProQuest, facilitate advanced searches supported by specialist keyword thesauri. Searches of items through specialist databases are complementary to those through multidisciplinary research platforms, such as PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Familiarizing with the functional characteristics of biomedical and nonbiomedical bibliographic search tools is mandatory for researchers, authors, editors, and publishers. The database users are offered updates of the indexed journal lists, abstracts, author profiles, and links to other metadata. Editors and publishers may find particularly useful source selection criteria and apply for coverage of their peer-reviewed journals and grey literature sources. These criteria are aimed at accepting relevant sources with established editorial policies and quality controls.

A bibliometric analysis of statistical terms used in American Physical Therapy Association journals (2011-2012): evidence for educating physical therapists

BACKGROUND

A primary barrier to the implementation of evidence based practice (EBP) in physical therapy is therapists' limited ability to understand and interpret statistics. Physical therapists demonstrate limited skills and report low self-efficacy for interpreting results of statistical procedures. While standards for physical therapist education include statistics, little empirical evidence is available to inform what should constitute such curricula. The purpose of this study was to conduct a census of the statistical terms and study designs used in physical therapy literature and to use the results to make recommendations for curricular development in physical therapist education.

METHODS

We conducted a bibliometric analysis of 14 peer-reviewed journals associated with the American Physical Therapy Association over 12 months (Oct 2011-Sept 2012). Trained raters recorded every statistical term appearing in identified systematic reviews, primary research reports, and case series and case reports. Investigator-reported study design was also recorded. Terms representing the same statistical test or concept were combined into a single, representative term. Cumulative percentage was used to identify the most common representative statistical terms. Common representative terms were organized into eight categories to inform curricular design.

RESULTS

Of 485 articles reviewed, 391 met the inclusion criteria. These 391 articles used 532 different terms which were combined into 321 representative terms; 13.1 (sd = 8.0) terms per article. Eighty-one representative terms constituted 90% of all representative term occurrences. Of the remaining 240 representative terms, 105 (44%) were used in only one article. The most common study design was prospective cohort (32.5%).

CONCLUSIONS

Physical therapy literature contains a large number of statistical terms and concepts for readers to navigate. However, in the year sampled, 81 representative terms accounted for 90% of all occurrences. These "common representative terms" can be used to inform curricula to promote physical therapists' skills, competency, and confidence in interpreting statistics in their professional literature. We make specific recommendations for curriculum development informed by our findings.

Factors associated with citation rate of randomised controlled trials in physiotherapy

Background

Despite the use of citation rate as a measure of quality of research is strongly criticized and debated, it remain a widely used method to evaluate performances of researchers, articles and journals. The aim of this study was to test which factors are associated with citation rate of Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) published on the physiotherapy field.

Methods

All RCTs abstracted in the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), indexed in Scopus database and published in 2008 were included. PEDro score, language of publication, indexing in PubMed database, type of access to articles, subdiscipline, the number of authors, the country where the study was performed, the type of institution where the study was conducted and the number of centres involved in the study (multicentric vs single-centre). and the 2013 5-year impact factor of the publishing journals were considered as independent variables. Citation rate until December 2013 was extracted from Scopus database and used as dependent variable.

Results

Six hundred and nineteen RCTs, published in 283 journals, were included and analysed. The 5-year impact factor was the strongest variable associated with the citation rate and explained approximately 50 % of the variance, and the number of authors explained an additional small part (about 1 %) of variability. The other variables were excluded from the model.

Conclusions

The study highlights that 5-year Impact Factor, not accessibility (language of publication, indexing in PubMed database or the type of access to articles) or reported quality (PEDro score), is a strong predictor of the number of citations for RCTs in the physiotherapy field. Our findings support the increasingly widespread idea that citation analysis does not reflect the scientific merit of the cited work, at least in terms of reported quality.

The results of this study need to be confirmed with a publication window larger than one year.

Types and quality of physical therapy research publications: has there been a change in the past decade?

PURPOSE

To describe and compare the type and quality of evidence published in physical therapy (PT) journals during two time periods (2000-2002 vs. 2010-2012) and to explore scientific editors' opinions on changes in the types and quality of articles.

METHODS

A quantitative, longitudinal, retrospective journal review was used to categorize and assess the methodological rigour of items published in four PT journals using the Hedges Project. A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional survey explored the opinions of scientific editors. Percentages and frequencies of article types (as defined by the Hedges Project criteria), items passing rigour, and editor responses were calculated. Statistical significance of differences in article type and rigour between the two time periods was determined using Fisher's Exact Test.

RESULTS

There was a significant increase in original studies and review articles from 2000-2002 to 2010-2012 (p<0.001, p=0.002, respectively). The overall pass rate for rigour was 33.3% in 2000-2002 and 42.5% in 2010-2012, showing a significant increase (p=0.019). The majority of editors reported an increase in systematic reviews, qualitative designs, and randomized controlled trials and believed that quality had improved by 2010-2012.

CONCLUSION

From 2000-2002 to 2010-2012, the quality of articles published in PT journals improved and the proportion of original studies and review articles increased.

Quantity and quality of randomized controlled trials published by Indian physiotherapists

Background and Objectives:

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are considered as the gold standard evidence for determining efficacy of interventions. Physiotherapeutic interventions are essential in the management of various conditions. However, information on the quantity and quality of RCTs published by Indian physiotherapists is largely unknown. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to review the RCTs published by Indian physiotherapists for analyzing publication trend and its quality.

Materials and Methods:

Medline database was searched for eligible RCTs published by Indian physiotherapists between the years 2000 and 2013. We performed quantitative analysis of RCTs including type of participants, area of focus in physiotherapy, clinical condition and geographical location of first author's affiliation and analyzed the methodological quality and reporting of RCTs using Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale and consolidated standards of reporting trials (CONSORTs) key criterion statement, respectively.

Results:

A total of 45 RCTs have been published by Indian physiotherapists. The common conditions investigated in the trials were low back pain (16.3%), followed by diabetes (6.7%) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (6.7%). The mean score of PEDro is 5.5 (standard deviation: 1.2). Trial registration (3 [7%]) and sample size calculation (28.9%) are the most common CONSORT items not reported in the trials.

Interpretation and Conclusions:

RCTs published by Indian physiotherapists is gradually increasing in numbers and the methodological qualities of studies are fair. However, there is substantial scope for improvement in conducting and reporting trials. In the future, Indian physiotherapists should focus more on conditions such as stroke, asthma, and others, which have a larger burden of illness among Indian population.

Content and bibliometric analyses of the Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy

BACKGROUND

Article characteristics and trends have been elucidated for other physical therapy-focused journals using content and bibliometric analysis. These findings are important for assessing the current state of a journal and for guiding future publication of research. To date, these analyses have not been performed for the Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy (JMMT).

OBJECTIVE

To describe content and trends for articles published in JMMT over a 20-year period (1993-2012).

METHODS

Journal articles were coded using previously-established domains (article type, participant type, research design, study purpose, and clinical condition). Total publications and proportion of publications based on domain were described. Articles specific to manual therapy intervention were examined and compared to data from other physical therapy-focused journals. Impact by citation and author was examined using bibliometric software.

RESULTS

Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy was found to have a recent acceleration in the number of articles published annually. Over time, topical reviews have decreased in favor of research reports. However, rigorous study designs have represented only a small portion of total journal content, and case reports have maintained a consistent publication presence. Manual therapy intervention articles in JMMT are predominantly case designs, however are similar in characteristics to manual therapy intervention articles published in other physical therapy-focused journals. For JMMT articles overall and manual therapy intervention articles across journals, young to middle-aged symptomatic adults with low back and/or neck pain were the most common study participants.

DISCUSSION

Increases in the number of papers and a move toward research reports were observed in JMMT over the 20-year period. Considerations for the future were outlined, including the publication of articles with more rigorous research designs. Manual therapy research for adolescents and older adults and for upper and lower extremity conditions should also be considered as priorities for the future.

Clinical trial registration in physical therapy journals: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Clinical trial registration has become an important part of editorial policies of various biomedical journals, including a few physical therapy journals. However, the extent to which editorial boards enforce the need for trial registration varies across journals.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to identify editorial policies and reporting of trial registration details in MEDLINE-indexed English-language physical therapy journals.

DESIGN

This study was carried out using a cross-sectional design.

METHODS

Editorial policies on trial registration of MEDLINE-indexed member journals of the International Society of Physiotherapy Journal Editors (ISPJE) (Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy, Journal of Hand Therapy, Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy, Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, Journal of Physiotherapy [formerly Australian Journal of Physiotherapy], Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, Manual Therapy, Physical Therapy, Physical Therapy in Sport, Physiotherapy, Physiotherapy Research International, Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, and Revista Brasileira de Fisioterapia) were reviewed in April 2013. Full texts of reports of clinical trials published in these journals between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2012, were independently assessed for information on trial registration.

RESULTS

Among the 13 journals, 8 recommended trial registration, and 6 emphasized prospective trial registration. As of April 2013, 4,618 articles were published between January 2008 and December 2012, of which 9% (417) were clinical trials and 29% (121/417) of these reported trial registration details. A positive trend in reporting of trial registration was observed from 2008 to 2012.

LIMITATIONS

The study was limited to MEDLINE-indexed ISPJE member journals.

CONCLUSIONS

Editorial policies on trial registration of physical therapy journals and a rising trend toward reporting of trial registration details indicate a positive momentum toward trial registration. Physical therapy journal editors need to show greater commitment to prospective trial registration to make it a rule rather than an option.

Introduction to Special Issue: A Review of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health and Physical Therapy over the Years

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) of the World Health Organization was developed as a common framework to understand health and to describe the impact of health condition on functioning. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the literature on the use of the ICF in physical therapy practice and research.

METHODS

We performed a scoping-narrative review and searched for relevant English language articles from 2001 to 2012 in multiple databases that included MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed and Physiotherapy Evidence Database. Our keywords for the search consisted of ['physical therapy' OR 'physiotherapy'] AND ['ICF']. All types of articles were considered.

RESULTS

We found 268 articles; out of which, 79 were reviewed. The years with most publications were 2011 (n = 16), 2008 (n = 15) and 2010 and 2012 (both with n = 13). Publications mostly came from the United States with 27% of the articles. The journal Physical Therapy leads with almost a third of ICF-related physical therapy publications. The ICF has been mostly used in studies of musculoskeletal and neuromuscular conditions. We found a wide array of application of the ICF in research, clinical practice and teaching (classroom and clinical education). Emerging topics included using the ICF in resource allocation and prevention and wellness.

CONCLUSION

The use of the ICF in physical therapy practice and research is promising and continues to evolve. With recent developments in ICF-based measurement and integration in assessment tools for use in the clinics, research and teaching, the need to show the added value of using the ICF in practice and research remains.

Knowledge Economy Core Journals: Identification through LISTA Database Analysis

Background

Knowledge economy has become increasingly broad over the years and identification of core journals in this field can be useful for librarians in journal selection process and also for researchers to select their studies and finding Appropriate Journal for publishing their articles. Present research attempts to determine core journals of Knowledge Economy indexed in LISTA (Library and Information Science and Technology).

Methods

The research method was bibliometric and research population include the journals indexed in LISTA (From the start until the beginning of 2011) with at least one article a bout “knowledge economy”. For data collection, keywords about “knowledge economy”–were extracted from the literature in this area–have searched in LISTA by using title, keyword and abstract fields and also taking advantage of LISTA thesaurus. By using this search strategy, 1608 articles from 390 journals were retrieved. The retrieved records import in to the excel sheet and after that the journals were grouped and the Bradford’s coefficient was measured for each group. Finally the average of the Bradford’s coefficients were calculated and core journals with subject area of “Knowledge economy” were determined by using Bradford’s formula.

Findings

By using Bradford’s scattering law, 15 journals with the highest publication rates were identified as “Knowledge economy” core journals indexed in LISTA. In this list “Library and Information update” with 64 articles was at the top. “ASLIB Proceedings” and “Serials” with 51 and 40 articles are next in rank. Also 41 journals were identified as beyond core that “Library Hi Tech” with 20 articles was at the top.

Conclusion

Increased importance of knowledge economy has led to growth of production of articles in this subject area. So the evaluation of journals for ranking these journals becomes a very challenging task for librarians and generating core journal list can provide a useful tool for journal selection and also quick and easy access to information. Core journal list and beyond core journal list obtained from this study can be used by librarians and researchers in this field.

Sixty-five years of Physical Therapy: bibliometric analysis of research publications from 1945 through 2010

BACKGROUND

The generation of research can be likened to the production of consumer goods, with a producer (the study authors and funders), a product (the study and publications arising from it), and consumers (those who read and cite the published study).

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to use bibliometric indexes to track changes in the producers, products, and consumers of the journal Physical Therapy from 1945 through 2010.

DESIGN

An analysis of published manuscripts (excluding letters, editorials, corrections, commentaries, and book reviews) in Physical Therapy was performed using a reliable bibliometric audit tool. Articles were sampled every 3 months and at 5-year intervals over a 65-year period. Information relating to authorship, the research methods used, and citation patterns was collected. Data were analyzed descriptively.

RESULTS

There have been substantial shifts in the nature of research published over the last 65 years in Physical Therapy. In 1945, the typical paper was anecdotal and authored by 1.4 American authors (working in hospitals), and consisted of 4 pages and 4 references. In 2010, the typical paper used a cross-sectional survey or randomized controlled trial design, with 4.6 multinational authors (working in universities), and consisted of 12 pages and 49 references.

LIMITATIONS

Findings are specific to the articles published in Physical Therapy that were sampled in this bibliometric analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

The changes seen in the research published in Physical Therapy mirror the shifts that have occurred in other industries: increasing quantification, standardization, collaboration, and internationalization. These trends are likely to continue in the future.

Content and bibliometric analysis of articles published in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy

STUDY DESIGN

Descriptive bibliometric analysis.

BACKGROUND

Content and bibliometric studies are useful for describing the publication patterns of a given profession, such as physical therapy, within the medical and allied health fields. However, few studies have conducted these analyses on specialty physical therapy journals.

OBJECTIVES

To conduct a content and bibliometric assessment of publications within the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy (JOSPT) and report publication and citation trends over multiple years.

METHODS

All available JOSPT manuscripts published from 1980 through 2009 were reviewed. Only research reports, topical reviews, and case reports were included in the current analysis. Articles were coded by 2 independent reviewers based on type, participant characteristics, research design, purpose, clinical condition, and intervention. We obtained additional citation information (eg, authors and institutions) from a subset of articles published from 1992 through 2009 using bibliometric software.

RESULTS

Of the 2233 available JOSPT publications, 1732 (77.6%) met criteria for inclusion. Of these, 1172 (67.7%) were research reports, 351 (20.3%) topical reviews, and 209 (12.1%) case reports. Over the last 30 years there has been a significant increase in the number of articles published and the percentage of research reports, systematic reviews, articles focused on prognosis, and articles including symptomatic participants. Percentage decreases were observed for topical or nonsystematic reviews and articles focused on anatomy/physiology. Top institutions, authors, and cited papers from 1992 through 2009 were identified in the bibliometric analyses.

CONCLUSION

JOSPT has shown publication trends for increased percentage of experimental and clinically relevant research. However, there may be a need for increased publication of randomized controlled trials and studies focused on diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment, if goals of evidence-based practice are to be met.

Reproducibility of the Portuguese version of the PEDro Scale

The objective of this study was to test the inter-rater reproducibility of the Portuguese version of the PEDro Scale. Seven physiotherapists rated the methodological quality of 50 reports of randomized controlled trials written in Portuguese indexed on the PEDro database. Each report was also rated using the English version of the PEDro Scale. Reproducibility was evaluated by comparing two separate ratings of reports written in Portuguese and comparing the Portuguese PEDro score with the English version of the scale. Kappa coefficients ranged from 0.53 to 1.00 for individual item and an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.82 for the total PEDro score was observed. The standard error of the measurement of the scale was 0.58. The Portuguese version of the scale was comparable with the English version, with an ICC of 0.78. The inter-rater reproducibility of the Brazilian Portuguese PEDro Scale is adequate and similar to the original English version.

PEDro: a base de dados de evidências em fisioterapia

INTRODUÇÃO: A prática baseada em evidências é necessária para que os pacientes recebam tratamentos eficazes, assim como para reduzir os custos de saúde em geral. Com o crescimento da produção científica com qualidade metodológica heterogênea, torna-se difícil para o fisioterapeuta selecionar quais as melhores evidências para embasar a sua conduta terapêutica. OBJETIVOS: Apresentar a base de dados PEDro (Physiotherapy Evidence Database). MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Foram descritos a abrangência da base de dados, tipos de estudos indexados, grau de acessibilidade aos usuários e critérios de qualificação metodológica, entre outras características. RESULTADOS: PEDro é a base de dados mais abrangente em estudos que testam a eficácia das intervenções fisioterapêuticas, em que são indexados estudos controlados aleatorizados, revisões sistemáticas e diretrizes de prática clínica, e os estudos controlados aleatorizados possuem sua qualidade metodológica e descrição estatística avaliadas por meio da escala de qualidade PEDro. A PEDro tem acesso livre e gratuito, facilitando o uso por profissionais, alunos da área e pesquisadores. Os resultados das buscas são ranqueados de acordo com a qualidade metodológica dos artigos encontrados. A PEDro está disponível em cinco idiomas: inglês, mandarim, francês, alemão e português e disponibiliza uma versão simples, sem termos técnicos, para consumidores de serviços de fisioterapia, que são as "escolhas fisioterapêuticas", ou physiotherapy choices. CONCLUSÃO: A PEDro cumpre o seu papel auxiliando tanto profissionais como pacientes, informando sobre as evidências de eficácia de tratamentos fisioterapêuticos de uma forma rápida e simples e contribuindo com o recolhimento de informações para subsidiar decisões ou escolhas terapêuticas.

Bibliometric analysis of articles published from 1980 to 2009 in Physical Therapy, journal of the American Physical Therapy Association

BACKGROUND

Recent evidence demonstrates growth in both the quality and quantity of evidence in physical therapy. Much of this work has focused on randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to conduct a comprehensive bibliometric assessment of Physical Therapy (PTJ) over the past 30 years to examine trends for all types of studies.

DESIGN

This was a bibliometric analysis.

METHODS

All manuscripts published in PTJ from 1980 to 2009 were reviewed. Research reports, topical reviews (including perspectives and nonsystematic reviews), and case reports were included. Articles were coded based on type, participant characteristics, physical therapy focus, research design, purpose of article, clinical condition, and intervention. Coding was performed by 2 independent reviewers, and author, institution, and citation information was obtained using bibliometric software.

RESULTS

Of the 4,385 publications identified, 2,519 were included in this analysis. Of these, 67.1% were research reports, 23.0% were topical reviews, and 9.9% were case reports. Percentage increases over the past 30 years were observed for research reports, inclusion of "symptomatic" participants (defined as humans with a current symptomatic condition), systematic reviews, qualitative studies, prospective studies, and articles focused on prognosis, diagnosis, or metric topics. Percentage decreases were observed for topical reviews, inclusion of only "asymptomatic" participants (defined as humans without a current symptomatic condition), education articles, nonsystematic reviews, and articles focused on anatomy/physiology.

LIMITATIONS

Quality assessment of articles was not performed.

CONCLUSIONS

These trends provide an indirect indication of the evolution of the physical therapy profession through the publication record in PTJ. Collectively, the data indicated an increased emphasis on publishing articles consistent with evidence-based practice and clinically based research. Bibliometric analyses indicated the most frequent citations were metric studies and references in PTJ were from journals from a variety of disciplines.