The quality of reporting in randomized controlled trials investigating exercise for individuals with whiplash-associated disorders; a systematic review

Background

Whiplash-associated disorders are a common sequela of road traffic accidents. Exercise therapy is considered an effective intervention, and it is recommended for the management of such condition. However, the application of research findings to everyday clinical practice is dependent on sufficient details being reported.

Objectives

To explore the quality of reporting in studies investigating the effectiveness of exercise for whiplash-associated disorders.

Methods

A literature search was conducted to identify studies testing the effectiveness of exercise for whiplash-associated disorders. Two reporting checklists were used to evaluate reporting completeness. The median positive scores for each study and overall percentage of positive scores for each item were calculated. Percentage agreement and the Cohen's Kappa coefficient were calculated.

Results

Twenty-one studies were included. According to the Template for Intervention Description and Replication checklist, items were reported appropriately with a median of 29% (range 0–95%, IQR 40.5). The median number of adequately reported items per study was 5 (range 1–10, IQR 3). For the Consensus on Exercise Reporting Template checklist, items were reported appropriately with a median of 29% (range 0–57%, IQR 29). The median number of adequately reported items per study was 4 (range 0–16, IQR 8). Percentage agreement ranged from 57% to 100% while Cohen's Kappa from −0.17 to 1.00.

Conclusions

The study reveals significant gaps in the quality of reporting in studies investigating exercise for whiplash-associated disorders as both checklists showed a median reporting adequacy of only 29%. Overall, the inter-rater agreement for both checklists was acceptable.