Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39566201›Full record

SynthesisBrazilian journal of physical therapy

The methodological quality of clinical trials of physical therapy for low back pain varies between countries with different income levels. A meta-epidemiological study.

Carlos Maximiliano Sánchez Medina, Claudia Gutiérrez Camacho, Anne M Moseley, Xochiquetzalli Tejeda Castellanos, Qiuzhe Chen, Edgar Denova-Gutiérrez, Aidan G Cashin, Viridiana Valderrama Godínez, Akari Fuentes Gómez, Ana Elisabeth Olivares Hernández and 1 more

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Brazilian journal of physical therapy. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Carlos Maximiliano Sánchez MedinaPhysical Therapy Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico. Electronic address: maximiliano.sanchez@comunidad.unam.mx.
Claudia Gutiérrez CamachoDirectorate of Teaching and Academic Development, Hospital Infantil de Mexico Federico Gomez, Mexico City, Mexico.
Anne M MoseleyInstitute for Musculoskeletal Health, The University of Sydney and Sydney Local Health District Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Xochiquetzalli Tejeda CastellanosPhysical Therapy Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico.
Qiuzhe ChenInstitute for Musculoskeletal Health, The University of Sydney and Sydney Local Health District Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Edgar Denova-GutiérrezNutrition and Health Research Center, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Mexico.
Aidan G CashinCentre for Pain IMPACT, Neuroscience Research Australia, Australia; School of Health Sciences, University of New South Wales, Australia.
Viridiana Valderrama GodínezPhysical Therapy Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico.
Akari Fuentes GómezPhysical Therapy Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico.
Ana Elisabeth Olivares HernándezPhysical Therapy Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico.
Giovanni E FerreiraInstitute for Musculoskeletal Health, The University of Sydney and Sydney Local Health District Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLow back pain is a severe global health problem. To face this issue, testing interventions using rigorously performed randomized controlled trials is essential. However, it is unclear if a country's income level is related to the quality of trials conducted.

objectiveTo compare the frequency and methodological quality of randomized controlled trials of physical therapy interventions for low back pain conducted in countries with different income levels.

methodsThis meta-epidemiological study retrieved trials from the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), Literatura Latino Americana em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS), and Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO). The methodological quality was evaluated using the 0-10 PEDro scale. Then we calculated the mean differences with a 95% confidence interval and performed an ANOVA test with Bonferroni correction to compare the PEDro scores between income groups.

resultsWe included 2552 trials; 70.4% were conducted in high-income countries. The mean (standard deviation) PEDro score of all trials was 5.5 (0.03) out of 10. Trials from low- or lower-middle-income countries had lower methodological quality than those from upper-middle- and high-income countries, but the mean difference was small (-0.6 points (95% CI -0.9, -0.3), and -0.7 points (95% CI -1.1, -0.5) respectively).

conclusionIncome level influences the methodological quality of trials of physical therapy intervention but is not the only factor. Implementing strategies to improve the methodological rigor of trials in patients with low back pain is necessary in all countries, regardless of income level.

Indexed as

Low Back PainPhysical Therapy ModalitiesClinical Trials as TopicEpidemiologic StudiesHumansIncomeRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicIncome levelLow back painMethodological qualityPEDro scalePhysical therapy interventiontrials

Identifiers

PMID39566201
PMCPMC11724997

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.