Can Research Findings be Used in Clinical Neuropsychology? Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials of Working Memory Intervention for Children.

Abstract

Objective: Working memory difficulties are prevalent in children with cognitive disorders, affecting their academic performance and quality of life. To offer optimal care, neuropsychologists rely on evidence-based practice principles, particularly drawing from relevant research data. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are the gold standard for assessing intervention effectiveness, but for these studies to be reliable and clinically applicable, they must meet specific quality standards. This article aims to assess the quality of RCTs published on working memory interventions in children.

Methods: Two investigators independently evaluated the quality of a sample of 30 RCTs on the revalidation of working memory in children with the help of the CONSORT SPI grid (completeness of reporting) and the RoB 2 tool (risk of bias).

Results: In our sample, only an average of 11.9 out of 45 CONSORT items were fully reported per article. Key elements like intervention descriptions, outcome definitions, and the blinding process were inadequately reported in over 80% of articles. According to the RoB 2 classification, 36 RCTs were deemed high risk for bias, 10 had some concerns, and 1 was rated as low risk.

Conclusions: The analyzed RCTs on cognitive rehabilitation in children reveal considerable transparency issues and high bias risks, limiting their clinical reliability. Researchers need to enhance the quality and clarity of their studies to better support clinical neuropsychologists.