Table 3 Critical appraisal of the included randomized controlled trials (n = 5)
Appraisal questions | Ekström, Widstrom, & Nissen, 2005 [25] | Ekström, Kylberg, & Nissen, 2012 [31] | Blixt, Martensson, & Ekstrom, 2014 [32] | Ekström & Stina, 2015 [33] | Shamim, Dina, Vitta, & Greiner, 2017 [34] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Was true randomization used for assignment of participants to treatment groups? | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
2. Was allocation to treatment groups concealed? | N | Y | Y | Y | Y |
3. Were treatment groups similar at the baseline? | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
4. Were participants blind to treatment assignment? | N | Y | Y | Y | Y |
5. Were those delivering treatment blind to treatment assignment? | N | N | N | N | N |
6. Were outcomes assessors blind to treatment assignment? | N/unclear | N/unclear | N/unclear | N/unclear | Y |
7. Were treatment groups treated identically other than the intervention of interest? | N/unclear | N/unclear | N/unclear | N/unclear | N/unclear |
8. Was follow up complete and if not, were differences between groups in terms of their follow up adequately described and analyzed? | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
9. Were participants analyzed in the groups to which they were randomized? | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
10. Were outcomes measured in the same way for treatment groups? | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
11. Were outcomes measured in a reliable way? | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
12. Was appropriate statistical analysis used? | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
13. Was the trial design appropriate, and any deviations from the standard RCT design (individual randomization, parallel groups) accounted for in the conduct and analysis of the trial? | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |