Affiliation:
1. Department of Physiotherapy, Sri Devaraj Urs Academy of Higher Education and Research, Kolar, Karnataka, India
Abstract
Abstract
Background:
Evidence-based practice combines the best available research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values. In this study, we aimed to assess the quality of published systematic reviews on general physiotherapy treatments for musculoskeletal pain. We used the AMSTAR-2 guidelines to rate the selected articles, with two independent raters working to achieve consensus. In addition, the study aimed to evaluate the percentage of systematic reviews that adhere to the methodological quality standards for systematic reviews.
Materials and Methods:
We searched PubMed for systematic reviews published between January 1, 2018 and May 31, 2022, and only selected articles indexed in Medline because it is widely used by clinicians to find evidence. We screened a total of 181 systematic reviews and finally included 17 articles based on the inclusion criteria. We calculated the total score of each article by summing the individual item scores.
Results:
Of the 17 included articles, 4 (24%) had a score of more than 60%, 4 (24%) had a score of 50–60% (fair quality), and the remaing articles had a score below 50% (poor quality).
Conclusion:
The quality of systematic reviews in physiotherapy for musculoskeletal pain, as observed in this study, is poor to fair. Further research is necessary to identify factors that impact the quality of systematic reviews and to develop best practices for producing high-quality reviews. Readers should exercise caution when interpreting the findings of systematic reviews in this field.