Description of interventions is under-reported in physical therapy clinical trials.

Background: Amongst several barriers to the application of quality clinical evidence and clinical guidelines into routine daily practice, poor description of interventions reported in clinical trials has received less attention. Although some studies have investigated the completeness of descriptions of non-pharmacological interventions in randomized trials, studies that exclusively analyzed physical therapy interventions reported in published trials are scarce.

Objectives: To evaluate the quality of descriptions of interventions in both experimental and control groups in randomized controlled trials published in four core physical therapy journals.

Do Commonly Used Functional Outcome Measures Capture Activities that Are Relevant for People with Stroke in India?

Objectives: In India, post-stroke outcomes are determined using functional outcome measures (FOMs), the contents of which have not been validated for their relevance to the Indian population. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the cultural validity of five frequently used stroke-specific FOMs by comparing their contents with the problems reported by patients with stroke in India.

Methods: Face-to-face structured interviews were conducted with 152 patients diagnosed with stroke in India.

Family's presence associated with increased physical activity in patients with acute stroke: an observational study.

Background: Inherent differences in organization of stroke care and rehabilitation practices in various settings influence the activity levels of patients in the hospital. The majority of published studies have been carried out in developed countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Switzerland and Belgium; however, data from developing countries are scarce.

Objective: To measure the amount and nature of physical activity of patients admitted to medical wards of Indian hospitals and to assess the association between family presence and the patient and between the patient's functional status and their physical activity level.

Importance of squatting and sitting on the floor: perspectives and priorities of rural Indian patients with stroke.

Background: Identifying activities that are preferred and valued by patients' is essential to optimize rehabilitation outcomes and quality of care in stroke rehabilitation. Deep knee flexion (DKF) activities like squatting and sitting on the floor are regularly performed and preferred daily activities in many cultures. Yet few studies have investigated its importance as perceived by patients with stroke.