Cochrane Rehabilitation Research Articles

Is clobazam monotherapy effective and safe in people with focal or generalized seizures? A Cochrane Review summary with commentary

Is clobazam monotherapy effective and safe in people with focal or generalized seizures? A Cochrane Review summary with commentary

The Cochrane Corners by Cochrane Rehabilitation.

Cochrane Rehabilitation (CR) is pursuing the goal of disseminating Cochrane evidence, in line with the Cochrane Knowledge Translation (KT) strategy theme 2: "Packaging, push, and support implementation", through several projects: the CR eBook project, blogshots, and Cochrane Corners. A Cochrane Corner is a KT vehicle in which the contents of the Cochrane Library are summarized and presented by a rehabilitation professional, using the qualitative statements proposed by Cochrane Norway to communicate the magnitude of rehabilitation intervention effects on specific outcomes, based on the certainty of evidence, and followed by a section on "clinical implication for rehabilitation professionals" (both for clinical and research practice). Our Cochrane Corners aim to inform about evidence produced by Cochrane in the field of rehabilitation from a rehabilitation professional perspective. After setting internal rules for Cochrane Corners, designing a template and preparing a guide for authors, the production of Cochrane Corners started. As of December 2019, CR signed Publication Agreements with 13 rehabilitation relevant Journals, contributed to Editorials as introductory articles for the launch of Cochrane Corners in some of these Journals and published 34 Cochrane Corners, in print or ahead of print, whereas 7 additional Cochrane Corners have been submitted to the Journals and will be published soon. This initiative provided a significant opportunity for CR to communicate with members of other groups within Cochrane as well as with journal editors. The impact of Cochrane Corners on the readers will need to be evaluated in the future: unfortunately, we have no instruments to measure it at present.

Cochrane Rehabilitation: 2019 annual report.

During its third year of existence, Cochrane Rehabilitation goals included to point out the main methodological issues in rehabilitation research, and to increase the Knowledge Translation activities. This has been performed through its committees and specific projects. In 2019, Cochrane Rehabilitation worked on five different special projects at different stages of development: 1) a collaboration with the World Health Organization to extract the best evidence for Rehabilitation (Be4rehab); 2) the development of a reporting checklist for Randomised Controlled Trials in rehabilitation (RCTRACK); 3) the definition of what is the rehabilitation for research purposes; 4) the ebook project; and 5) a prioritization exercise for Cochrane Reviews production. The Review Committee finalized the screening and "tagging" of all rehabilitation reviews in the Cochrane library; the Publication Committee increased the number of international journals with which publish Cochrane Corners; the Education Committee continued performing educational activities such as workshops in different meetings; the Methodology Committee performed the second Cochrane Rehabilitation Methodological Meeting and published many papers; the Communication Committee spread the rehabilitation evidence through different channels and translated the contents in different languages. The collaboration with several National and International Rehabilitation Scientific Societies, Universities, Hospitals, Research Centers and other organizations keeps on growing.

A Review of CONSORT Guidelines About Comparison Groups With a Focused Discussion on Implications for Rehabilitation Clinical Trials.

We examined and appraised the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) 2010 Statement and its extension from the perspective of the reporting of comparison groups (ie, interventions or control conditions against which an experimental intervention is compared) in clinical trials on rehabilitation topics. We downloaded the CONSORT 2010 Statement and all endorsed and unofficial extensions reported on the CONSORT and EQUATOR Web sites. We extracted all statements on the selection, design, delivery, or interpretation of data from comparison groups in clinical trials. We discussed preliminary findings during the Cochrane Rehabilitation Methodology Meeting in Kobe and then further by email before finalizing results. We identified 23 standards reported across the CONSORT 2010 Statement and 10 extensions. Overall, these standards address many, but not all, issues related to reporting of comparison groups in rehabilitation trials. We recommend that additional standards be created for the selection of types of comparisons, choices around reporting of "usual care," reporting of intended "mechanisms of control," and reporting a rationale for the hypothesized superiority of one intervention over another when superiority trial design are used. Rehabilitation research would benefit from development of a specific checklist and guidelines to help researchers make best use of existing extensions.

The Randomized Controlled Trials Rehabilitation Checklist: Methodology of Development of a Reporting Guideline Specific to Rehabilitation.

One of the goals of Cochrane Rehabilitation is to strengthen methodology relevant to evidence-based clinical practice. Toward this goal, several research activities have been performed in rehabilitation literature: a scoping review listed the methodological issues in research, a study showed the low clinical replicability of randomized controlled trials, two systematic reviews showed the relevant items in reporting guidelines, and a series of articles discussed main methodological issues as a result of the first Cochrane Rehabilitation Methodological Meeting (Paris 2018). The need to improve the quality of conduct and reporting of research studies in rehabilitation emerged as a relevant task. The aim of this article is to present the Randomized Controlled Trial Rehabilitation Checklists (RCTRACK) project to produce a specific reporting guideline in rehabilitation. The project followed a combination of the CONsolidated Standards of Reporting Trials and EQUATOR Network methodologies. The project includes five phases. The first is kick-off, first consensus meeting and executive and advisory committee identification. The second is literature search and synthesis, where eight working groups will produce knowledge synthesis products (systematic or scoping reviews) to compile items relevant to reporting of randomized controlled trials in rehabilitation. The topics will be as follows: patient selection; blinding; treatment group; control group and co-interventions; attrition, follow-up, and protocol deviation; outcomes; statistical analysis and appropriate randomization; and research questions. The third is guidelines development, which means drafting of a document with the guidelines through a consensus meeting. The fourth is Delphi process consensus, a Delphi study involving all the rehabilitation research and methodological community. The fifth is final consensus meeting and publication. The RCTRACK will be an important contribution to the rehabilitation field and will impact several groups of rehabilitation stakeholders worldwide. The main goal is to improve the quality of the evidence produced in rehabilitation research. The RCTRACK also wants to improve the recognition and understanding of rehabilitation within Cochrane and the scientific and medical community at large.

Effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions for people with multiple sclerosis - A Cochrane Review summary with commentary.

The aim of this commentary is to discuss the rehabilitation perspective in the recently published Cochrane Review "Rehabilitation for people with multiple sclerosis: an overview of Cochrane Reviews" by Amatya, Khan & Galea1, under the direct supervision of Multiple Sclerosis and Rare Diseases of the CNS group. This Cochrane Corner is produced in agreement with "NeuroRehabilitation" by Cochrane Rehabilitation.

Do non-pharmacological interventions improve chronic pain in multiple sclerosis? - A Cochrane Review summary with commentary.

The aim of this commentary is to discuss the rehabilitation perspective in the recently published Cochrane Review "Non-pharmacological interventions for chronic pain in multiple sclerosis" by Amatya, Young & Khan.1, under the direct supervision of Multiple Sclerosis and Rare Diseases of the CNS group. This Cochrane Corner is produced in agreement with NeuroRehabilitation by Cochrane Rehabilitation.

Is multidisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation effective on pain, disability, and work outcomes in adults with subacute low back pain? A Cochrane Review summary with commentary

The aim of this commentary is to discuss, in a rehabilitation perspective, the Cochrane Review “Multidisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation for subacute low back pain” (Marin et al., 2017)1 published under the supervision of the Cochrane Back and Neck Group. This “Cochrane Corner” is produced in agreement with Musculoskeletal Science and Practice by Cochrane Rehabilitation.

Does Vitamin D reduce disease activity in people with multiple sclerosis? A Cochrane Review summary with commentary.

The aim of this commentary is to discuss in a rehabilitation perspective the recently published Cochrane Review "Vitamin D for the management of multiple sclerosis" by Jagannath et al. (2018)1 under the direct supervision of Cochrane Multiple Sclerosis and rare diseases of the CNS Group. This Cochrane Corner is produced in agreement with NeuroRehabilitation by Cochrane Rehabilitation.

Are exercise interventions beneficial for people with hip and knee osteoarthritis? - A Cochrane Review summary with commentary

The aim of this commentary is to discuss in a rehabilitation perspective the recently published Cochrane Review “Exercise interventions and patient beliefs for people with hip, knee or hip and knee osteoarthritis: a mixed methods review” by Hurley M. et al., 2018,1 under the direct supervision of Cochrane Musculoskeletal Group. This Cochrane Corner is produced in agreement with Journal of Musculoskeletal Science and Practice by Cochrane Rehabilitation.

How effective are treatments for anxiety after stroke? - A Cochrane Review summary with commentary.

The aim of this commentary is to discuss in a rehabilitation perspective the published Cochrane Review "Interventions for treating anxiety after stroke" by Knapp, Campbell Burton, Holmes, Murray, Gillespie, Lightbody, Watkins, Chun, & Lewis1, under the direct supervision of the Cochrane Stroke Group. This Cochrane Corner is produced in agreement with NeuroRehabilitation by Cochrane Rehabilitation.

Cochrane Rehabilitation

Cochrane Rehabilitation

Conclusiveness of Cochrane Reviews in physiotherapy: a systematic search and analytical review.

Numerous Cochrane Reviews (CRs) in the field of physiotherapy have been published, but their conclusiveness has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to provide an overview and describe the conclusiveness of evidence from CRs regarding physiotherapy. We conducted a systematic search using the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in the Cochrane Library from 2008 through 2017 in the field of physiotherapy, the Physical Rehabilitation Evidence Database, and the CRs list on the Cochrane Rehabilitation website. Reviewers extracted the following data: year of publication, editorial group, number of articles meeting the criteria, number of patients enrolled, conclusiveness, and need for additional studies. Linear regression was used to determine whether the percentage of conclusive reviews was affected by the year of publication. Reviewers found 283 CRs in the field of physiotherapy, and only 16 (5.7%) of which were conclusive. The number of trials and participants enrolled in conclusive reviews were significantly higher than those in inconclusive reviews (P < 0.001). The percentage of conclusive reviews was significantly correlated with year of publication (P = 0.03). Almost all reviews recognized the need for additional studies. Most CRs in physiotherapy are inconclusive, and most emphasize the need for further research. The ability of a Cochrane Review to reach a conclusion is affected by the cumulative patient sample size and number of trials included in the analysis.

Cochrane Rehabilitation: 2018 annual report

During its second year of existence, Cochrane Rehabilitation worked hard to accomplish new and old goals. The Review Committee completed the massive task of identifying and "tagging" all rehabilitation reviews in the Cochrane library. The Publication Committee signed agreements with several international journals and started the publication of Cochrane Corners. The Education Committee performed educational activities such as workshops in International Meetings. The Methodology Committee has completed a two days Cochrane Rehabilitation Methodological Meeting in Paris of which the results will soon be published. The Communication Committee reaches almost 5,000 rehabilitation professionals through social media, and is working on the translation of contents in Italian, Spanish, French, Dutch, Croatian and Japanese. Memoranda of Understanding have been signed with several National and International Rehabilitation Scientific Societies, Universities, Hospitals, Research Centres and other organizations. The be4rehab (best evidence for rehabilitation) project has been started with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to extract from Cochrane reviews and clinical guidelines the best currently available evidence to produce the WHO Minimum Package of Rehabilitation Interventions. The Cochrane Rehabilitation ebook is under development as well as a priority setting exercise with 39 countries from all continents.

One in 11 Cochrane Reviews Are on Rehabilitation Interventions, According to Pragmatic Inclusion Criteria Developed by Cochrane Rehabilitation

ObjectiveTo identify all published protocols and reviews in the Cochrane Library relevant to the scope of practice of rehabilitation; to test pragmatic criteria to identify rehabilitation interventions; to begin categorizing reviews according to the professionals involved in delivering the intervention and broad areas of clinical practice. Data SourcesCochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Study SelectionWe screened all published reviews and protocols in the Cochrane library. Data ExtractionWe built an online relational database into which we imported titles and abstracts of all reviews and protocols published in the Cochrane Library from 1996 to August 2018. We recruited rehabilitation professionals worldwide through Cochrane Rehabilitation’s social media to find and tag rehabilitation reviews in this database. One rehabilitation physician and 1 allied health professional independently tagged each title against prespecified criteria. The Cochrane Rehabilitation Review Committee examined disagreements between contributors for any uncertainties about how to categorize a review. We revised and improved our preliminary criteria for identifying rehabilitation interventions as the work progressed. Data SynthesisWe identified that 9.4% of all Cochrane publications (894/9471 reviews and protocols) are directly relevant to the practice of rehabilitation. The professional groups whose interventions were most frequently the subject of rehabilitation reviews and protocols were rehabilitation physicians and physical therapists. We also identified a final list of inclusion and exclusion criteria for reviews on rehabilitation interventions. ConclusionMany Cochrane Reviews are directly relevant to rehabilitation. Cochrane needs to consider the rehabilitation community a major stakeholder in all its work. The pragmatic criteria we tested are offered for future discussions on the identification and categorization of rehabilitation interventions by stakeholders worldwide. This work will support the spread of content from the Cochrane Library to rehabilitation professionals and guide future research.

The Cochrane Rehabilitation eBook: a knowledge translation tool to transfer evidence to different rehabilitation audiences.

Systematic reviews are a powerful method for summarizing and synthesizing evidence and create a methodological opportunity for preparing data integration tables to enable review-level synthesis of the evidence. One of the main tasks of Cochrane Rehabilitation is to make it possible to improve the application of evidence-based clinical practice by all rehabilitation professionals, and to facilitate policy-makers in decision-making according to the best evidence. In this context arises the need to diffuse the high-quality information of Cochrane Systematic Reviews (CSR), through synthetic and easy-to-use messages for the different rehabilitation audiences. Cochrane Rehabilitation has recently launched the production of an eBook including all the evidence coming from the CSR tagged by its Review Committee as of rehabilitation interest with the final aim to enhance the application of evidence in clinical practice, medical education, health system policies, and in the community. This will be a powerful tool for the dissemination of evidence-based practice, education and knowledge, as well as to support political decisions for both effective organization and resource allocation in rehabilitation field.

The Cochrane Corners in NeuroRehabilitation: A Cochrane Rehabilitation initiative

The Cochrane Corners in NeuroRehabilitation: A Cochrane Rehabilitation initiative

Organization and functioning of Cochrane rehabilitation field

Cochrane Rehabilitation Field (CR) is a worldwide network aiming to act as a bridge between Cochrane and Rehabilitation community and stakeholders. CR specific goals are to undertake Knowledge Translation and to progress the methods for evidence synthesis in order to make them appropriate with the needs of people with disabilities and daily clinical rehabilitation practice. The aim of this paper is to describe the Organization and Functioning of the Field. Currently, 294 people from 52 different countries are part of CR. The organization includes: Director (responsible for the Knowledge Translation strategy); Coordinator (responsible of the Networking Strategy); Executive Committee; Advisory Board. The Communication Committee created the website (http://www.rehabilitation.cohrane.org) and is in charge of constantly updating it. It set up a YouTube channel, a Facebook page and a Twitter account. It is also responsible for the preparation of the Newsletter and of the production and dissemination of blogshots, a concise synthesis of the main message of Cochrane Evidence in Rehabilitation. The Publication Committee has been working on the creation of Cochrane Corners in rehabilitation National and International scientific journals. The Education Committee is responsible for the preparation of Cochrane sessions and workshops at Rehabilitation Meetings, 4 Workshops and 10 sessions at National and International Meetings have been realized so far. The Reviews Committee has been selecting all Cochrane Reviews relevant for rehabilitation, it has been developed and tested a systematic search strategy which is providing material for the other Committees. The Methodology Committee has been working for the improvement of the methods to synthesize evidence. Cochrane Rehabilitation is growing fast and more and more people are joining the different committees with the aim to obtain the same results of disseminating evidences.

The Cochrane Rehabilitation eBook: a knowledge translation tool to transfer evidence to different rehabilitation audiences.

Systematic reviews are a powerful method for summarizing and synthesizing evidence and create a methodological opportunity for preparing data integration tables to enable review-level synthesis of the evidence. One of the main tasks of Cochrane Rehabilitation is to make it possible to improve the application of evidence-based clinical practice by all rehabilitation professionals, and to facilitate policy-makers in decision-making according to the best evidence. In this context arises the need to diffuse the high-quality information of Cochrane Systematic Reviews (CSR), through synthetic and easy-to-use messages for the different rehabilitation audiences. Cochrane Rehabilitation has recently launched the production of an eBook including all the evidence coming from the CSR tagged by its Review Committee as of rehabilitation interest with the final aim to enhance the application of evidence in clinical practice, medical education, health system policies, and in the community. This will be a powerful tool for the dissemination of evidence-based practice, education and knowledge, as well as to support political decisions for both effective organization and resource allocation in rehabilitation field.

Cochrane Rehabilitation: report of the first year of work.

Since his launch Cochrane Rehabilitation has started working to be a bridge between Cochrane and rehabilitation. After a fist period of work organization, the field has started producing actions through its committees: communication, education, methodology, publication and reviews. All the results of this first year of activity are listed in this report.