Affiliations: [a] Aging, Rehabilitation, and Geriatric Care, Lawson Research Institute, St. Joseph's Health Care London, London, ON, Canada | [b] Ottawa Hospital Rehabilitation Centre, Ottawa, ON, Canada | [c] Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada | [d] Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada | [e] Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada | [f] Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, St. Joseph's Health Care London, London, ON, Canada | [g] The Schulich School of Medicine, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: Jo-Anne Aubut, Research Associate, St. Joseph's Health Care – Parkwood Hospital, 801 Commissioners Road East, London, ON, Canada N6C 5J1. Tel.: +1 519 685 4292; Extn: 42630; Fax: +1 519 685 4036; E-mail: JoAnne.Aubut@sjhc.london.on.ca
Abstract: Objective:The objective of this study was to examine the correlation between the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) and the Downs and Black (D&B) quality assessment scale and the PEDro and a modified D&B assessment scores in a research synthesis of the ABI literature. Methods and Main Outcomes:A systematic review of the literature from 1980–2007 was conducted looking at treatment interventions following an ABI published in peer-reviewed English language journals. Of the articles chosen for inclusion in the study, 165 were identified as randomised controlled trials (RCT). All RCTs were scored using two quality assessment tools: the PEDro and D&B quality assessment scales. Items from these two scales were compared to identify which questions addressed similar information. Results:The association between the overall PEDro and D&B scores was moderately high (r = 0.71, p < 0.01) indicating a significant relationship between these two quality assessment tools. When considering the modified D& B scores, which contained a subset of questions deemed most comparable to the PEDro scale, the correlation between the two was also moderately high (r = 0.68, p < 0.01). Conclusions:Further analysis is required to investigate the strength of the relationship between these two scales in the assessment of RCTs.
Keywords: Quality assessment tools, PEDro, Downs and Black, brain injury literature
