Exploring Core Outcome Sets in Physiotherapy - Where are we right now?

Fiona Dobson, Lenny Vasanthan Thinagaran, Sarah Gorst, Susie Dodd, Paula Williamson
Purpose:

The aim of this scoping review is to evaluate the available COS in Physiotherapy

•    To describe the extent of stakeholder involvement in the COS development process 

•    To explore the geographical location of authors involved in COS development all over the world

•    To identify the common outcome domains used across PT COS


Methods:

The COMET database was searched to identify any COS related to PT practice or research. Published studies are identified for the COMET database via citation alerts of key COMET papers and an annual update of the systematic review. Ongoing studies were also included from the database and available studies were independently screened by two reviewers to identify studies related to PT. Consensus on discrepancies related to articles were obtained by discussion. 

Results:

26 COS published between 2002-2023 were related to PT. The COS development methods included surveys, nominal group technique, literature reviews, semi-structured interviews, and consensus meetings. Twelve COS (46.15%) involved patient representatives in the development process. Of the thirteen studies published after 2017, we assessed them using the COS-STAD criteria, one COS met all the criteria and two COS satisfying 10 or more criteria. COS developers were located across the globe including strong representation from the UK (10), USA (9), Canada (8), Australia (6). The common outcome domains used in PT related COS were pain (13 studies), quality of life (9) physical functioning (9), activity (6).

Conclusion(s):

In the COMET database, of all the COS published, only 4% of the COS are directly related to Physiotherapy. There is a need for greater involvement of patients and relevant stakeholders in the COS development process. Greater global participation would be helpful for a wider reach. Pain, quality and function were the most studied outcome domains in PT related COS. 

Implications:

The results of this study will help standardize the use of outcome measure domains across PT research. Standardization of outcome measure domain usage across PT will help reduce the heterogeneity of outcome measures across PT and considerably reduce research waste.

Funding acknowledgements:
Lenny Vasanthan Thinagaran is funded by MRC TMRP DTP Grant Number MR/W006049/1. for his PhD studentship.
Keywords:
Outcomes
Core Outcome Sets
Trials
Primary topic:
Research methodology, knowledge translation and implementation science
Did this work require ethics approval?:
No
Has any of this material been/due to be published or presented at another national or international conference prior to the World Physiotherapy Congress 2025?:
Yes

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