The reporting of somatic sensory training interventions in individuals following a stroke is suboptimal: A systematic review and meta - research study

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this systematic review is to assess the adherence to the "Template for intervention description and replication" (TIDieR) checklist among all published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of sensory retraining strategies (SRS) for patients with a history of stroke. METHODS: We investigated Medline, CENTRAL, and PEDro, without time restrictions, until 1st September 2021. Also, we searched for additional studies using the included studies' reference list.We included only RCTs of adults with a history of stroke who aimed to improve sensation, via any type of intervention.We used the TIDieR to assess the completeness of reporting on each intervention. RESULTS: We included 61 trials. None of the included studies declared to have used the TIDieR checklist to report interventions.Overall, the median percentage of adherence to the twelve items of the TIDieR was 33% (IQR 25% - 50%). Only five of the single items were adequately described in more than 50% of the studies.None of the RCTs reported the entirety of the core intervention components, as described in items three to nine. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review demonstrates that interventions in SRS trials are described below desirable standards. Without this information, clinicians and researchers cannot reliably replicate interventions