How to Classify Clinical Trials Using the PEDro Scale?

Arecent systematic review included 10 clinical trials and discussed the effect of photobiomodulation therapy on postoperative 1 published in this journal pain of various surgical procedures and their possible side effects. Both are the outcomes of a recognized interest among clinicians and researchers working in the field. The authors chose the Physiotherapy Evidence Database2 (PEDro) scale to evaluate the methodological quality of the included studies. It is a sound option since this instrument is widely used worldwide with recognized reliability and validity.3-5 The scale is available for free at pedro.org.au and gathers more than 43.000 clinical trials, systematic reviews, and clinical practice guidelines in the field of physiotherapy. The site is developed by the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health of the University of Sydney, Australia. The PEDro scale assists readers to quickly assess whether a clinical trial presents reliable and meaningful results for use in clinical practice.6 The database classifies clinical trials only and scores them by adding the number of items on the scale (0-10) that have been met. Reviews and guidelines do not receive a score. This process involves a separate analysis by two trained evaluators. When there is no consensus, a third evaluator reviews the study until a classification is confirmed.