Generalizability of Results from Randomized Controlled Trials in Post-Stroke Physiotherapy

Recommended moderate to vigorous physical activity levels for people in the chronic phase of stroke can be achieved in outpatient physiotherapy: a multicentre observational study

BACKGROUND

Rehabilitation in the chronic phase of stroke should include 20 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). However, the level of compliance with MVPA guidelines in outpatient physiotherapy is unknown.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate (1) whether people in the chronic phase of stroke perform the recommended 20 minutes of MVPA during outpatient physiotherapy sessions in France, (2) whether the person's clinical characteristics influence MVPA time and (3) which interventions contribute to achievement of recommended MVPA time.

METHODS

This was a multicentre, cross-sectional observational study of routine outpatient physiotherapy sessions in France in people in the chronic phase of stroke. The main measures included MVPA time (determined using a heart rate monitor), clinical tests and types of physiotherapy interventions (recorded by external investigator during 2 sessions for each participant).

RESULTS

84 people in the chronic phase of stroke and 152 outpatient physiotherapy sessions in 29 outpatient clinics were included (2021-2022). Median (interquartile range) MVPA time was 25 (7-45) minutes across all sessions. Fifty-nine percent of the sessions fulfilled MVPA guidelines. Among clinical tests, only the Mini-Mental Scale Examination was significantly associated with MVPA time. Endurance, balance, and functional lower limb training were associated with the achievement of MVPA guidelines.

CONCLUSION

Outpatient physiotherapy sessions have the potential to meet the MVPA guidelines. Further research is needed to understand the variability of compliance with MVPA guidelines and to develop strategies to increase the integration of MVPA into outpatient physiotherapy sessions.

Co-design for stroke intervention development: Results of a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Co-design methodology seeks to actively engage end-users in developing interventions. It is increasingly used to design stroke interventions; however, limited guidance exists, particularly with/for individuals with stroke who have diverse cognitive, physical and functional abilities. Thus, we describe 1) the extent of existing research that has used co-design for stroke intervention development and 2) how co-design has been used to develop stroke interventions among studies that explicitly used co-design, including the rationale, types of co-designed stroke interventions, participants involved, research methodologies/approaches, methods of incorporating end-users in the research, co-design limitations, challenges and potential strategies reported by researchers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A scoping review informed by Joanna Briggs Institute and Arksey & O'Malley methodology was conducted by searching nine databases on December 21, 2022, to locate English-language literature that used co-design to develop a stroke intervention. Additional data sources were identified through a hand search. Data sources were de-duplicated, and two research team members reviewed their titles, abstracts and full text to ensure they met the inclusion criteria. Data relating to the research objectives were extracted, analyzed, and reported numerically and descriptively.

RESULTS

Data sources used co-design for stroke intervention development with (n = 89) and without (n = 139) explicitly using the term 'co-design.' Among studies explicitly using co-design, it was commonly used to understand end-user needs and generate new ideas. Many co-designed interventions were technology-based (65%), and 48% were for physical rehabilitation or activity-based. Co-design was commonly conducted with multiple participants (82%; e.g., individuals with stroke, family members/caregivers and clinicians) and used various methods to engage end-users, including focus groups and workshops. Limitations, challenges and potential strategies for recruitment, participant-engagement, contextual and logistical and ethics of co-designed interventions were described.

CONCLUSIONS

Given the increasing popularity of co-design as a methodology for developing stroke interventions internationally, these findings can inform future co-designed studies.

The influence of bias in randomized controlled trials on rehabilitation intervention effect estimates: what we have learned from meta-epidemiological studies

This study aimed to synthesize evidence from studies that addressed the influence of bias domains in randomized controlled trials on rehabilitation intervention effect estimates and discuss how these findings can maximize the trustworthiness of an RCT in rehabilitation. We screened studies about the influence of bias on rehabilitation intervention effect estimates published until June 2023. The characteristics and results of the included studies were categorized based on methodological characteristics and summarized narratively. We included seven studies with data on 227,806 RCT participants. Our findings showed that rehabilitation intervention effect estimates are likely exaggerated in trials with inadequate/unclear sequence generation and allocation concealment when using continuous outcomes. The influence of blinding was inconsistent and different from the rest of medical science, as meta-epidemiological studies showed overestimation, underestimation, or neutral associations for different types of blinding on rehabilitation treatment effect estimates. Still, it showed a more consistent pattern when looking at patient-reported outcomes. The impact of attrition bias and intention to treat has been analyzed only in two studies with inconsistent results. The risk of reporting bias seems to be associated with overestimation of treatment effects. Bias domains can influence rehabilitation treatment effects in different directions. The evidence is mixed and inconclusive due to the poor methodological quality of RCTs and the limited number and quality of studies looking at the influence of bias and treatment effects in rehabilitation. Further studies about the influence of bias in RCTs on rehabilitation intervention effect estimates are needed.

The muscle shortening maneuver in individuals with stroke: a consideration-of-concept randomized pilot trial

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The Muscle Shortening Maneuver (MSM) is derived from Feldman's λ model of motor control, and seems to induce a more balanced agonist- antagonist-muscular action. The hypothesized mechanism of action is a modulation of the Tonic Stretch Reflex Threshold (TSRT). We designed a pilot, randomized trial aimed to explore the mechanisms of action of the technique. An ancillary objective was to research the implementation of the MSM as a stroke rehabilitation intervention.

METHODS

A sample of 10 participants with chronic stroke was enrolled and randomly assigned to MSM (n, 5) or conventional physical therapy (CPT) (n, 5) treatments. The TSRTs were assessed by the Montreal Spasticity Measure device. A selection of clinical and instrumental outcome measures was taken to investigate function and activity levels. Data were collected at baseline, end-of-treatment, and one month after the end-of-treatment.

RESULTS

No adverse events were observed. In both between- and within-group post-treatment assessments, in the affected ankle the MSM group showed decreased TSRTs of the plantar flexor, increased strength of the dorsiflexor and active range of motion; also, the time needed to perform the Timed Up and Go test decreased. No changes were evident across assessments in the CPT group.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

The MSM seems able to modulate the TSRTs in individuals with stroke. Although with the limitations due to the pilot design, the variation in participants' responses appear to be promising. Many methodological issues have to be clarified and specified conceiving the progression toward a confirmatory trial.

Inclusion of adults with conditions that have the potential to affect capacity and or communication in research: triangulation from a mixed-methods study of current practice and values across multiple stakeholders

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to: (A) describe researcher decision-making when including or excluding adults with conditions that have the potential to affect capacity and/or communication in research and (B) explore the underlying values and reasoning of stakeholders in research which falls under the provisions of the Mental Capacity Act, 2005.

DESIGN

The mixed-methods design included semistructured interviews with adults with conditions that have the potential to affect capacity and/or communication, supporters, researchers, research ethics committee members and an online survey with researchers. Triangulation was used to integrate the data and examine the complementarity of the findings.

SETTING

England and Wales.

PARTICIPANTS

There were 61 participants who took part in semistructured interviews, of which 39 were adults with conditions with potential to affect capacity and/or communication, 6 were in support roles for adults with conditions with potential to affect capacity and/or communication (including family members and professionals in advocacy organisations), 8 were members of research ethics committees flagged under the Mental Capacity Act to review research where there could be issues of mental capacity and 8 were researchers with experience of working with adults with conditions that have the potential to affect capacity and/or communication. The online survey had 128 participants, researchers with experience of working with adults with conditions that have the potential to affect capacity and/or communication.

RESULTS

All stakeholders were supportive of the genuine inclusion of adults with conditions that have the potential to affect capacity and/or communication in research, and exclusion was seen as a form of discrimination. Many researchers were daunted by meeting the threshold within the legislation for including participants who may lack capacity.

CONCLUSION

Further training, expertise and resources are required to promote the successful inclusion in research of adults with conditions that have the potential to affect capacity and/or communication.

Comparing stroke rehabilitation inpatients and clinical trials eligibility criteria: A secondary chart review analysis revealing that most patients could have been excluded from rehabilitation trials based on comorbidity status

Background

The generalizability of treatments examined in rehabilitation randomized controls trials (RCTs) partly depend on the similarity between trial subjects and a stroke rehabilitation inpatient population. The aim of this study was to determine the proportion of stroke rehabilitation inpatients that would have been eligible or ineligible to participate in published stroke RCTs.

Methods

This was a secondary analysis of chart review data collected as part of an independent quality improvement initiative. Data pertaining to the characteristics of stroke rehabilitation inpatients (e.g. age, cognitive impairment, previous stroke, comorbidities) were extracted from the medical charts of patients consecutively admitted to an inpatient stroke rehabilitation unit at a large urban rehabilitation hospital in Canada. Using the exclusion criteria categories of stroke RCTs identified from a systematic scoping review of 428 RCTs, we identified how many stroke rehabilitation inpatients would have been eligible or ineligible to participate in stroke RCTs based on their age, cognitive impairment, previous stroke and presence of comorbidities.

Results

In total, 110 stroke rehabilitation inpatients were included. Twenty-four percent of patients were 80 years of age or older, 84.5% had queries or concerns regarding patient cognitive abilities, 28.0% had a previous stroke, and 31.8% had a severe stroke. Stroke rehabilitation inpatients had six comorbidities on average. Based on these factors, most stroke rehabilitation inpatients could have been excluded from stroke RCTs, with cognitive impairment the most common RCT exclusion criteria.

Conclusions

Changes to the design of RCTs would support the development of clinical practice guidelines that reflect stroke rehabilitation inpatient characteristics, enhancing equity, diversity, and inclusion within samples and the generalizability of results.

Barriers to evidence-based practice implementation in physiotherapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

To review and meta-analyse the evidence about the prevalence of barriers to evidence-based practice (EBP) reported in physiotherapy.

METHODS

Two independent investigators conducted an extensive electronic search in EMBASE, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and CINAHL databases from their inception to July 2020 and included the retrieved articles if they investigated barriers to EBP among physiotherapy professionals. Subsequently, they extracted data and assessed the methodological quality using a scale described in a similar previous study. The outcome for meta-analysis was frequency of each reported barrier. Sub-analyses were performed grouping studies based on countries where surveys were performed, classified as either developed or developing countries.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine articles were included in the systematic reviews and meta-analysis. Risk of bias assessment of included studies showed a median score: 4 points (interquartile range: 3-4). The findings of meta-analysis revealed that lack of time was the most frequently reported barrier (53.0% [95% confidence interval, 95%CI, 44.0-62.0]), followed by language (36.0% [95%CI 16.0-62.0]), lack of access (34.0% [95%CI 23.0.27]) and lack of statistical skills (31.0% [95%CI 20.0-44.0]). Lack of skills and lack of generalizability were declared as barriers by 27.0% [95%CI 18.0-38.0] and 23.0% [95%CI 15.0-33.0] of responders, respectively. Lack of support and lack of interest are less frequent, with 16.0% [95%CI 11.0-24.0] and 9.0% [95%CI 6.0-15.0] of responses, respectively. Barriers reported in investigations performed in developed countries were less frequent when compared to those performed in developing countries.

CONCLUSION

Organizational issues and methodological skills seem key issues to allow the implementation of EBP, suggesting the need to adopt or enhance organizational and training strategies to facilitate the implementation of the EBP. Quantitative synthesis showed high heterogeneity for all analyses, and therefore, pooled data should be interpreted with caution.