Table of Contents

Foreword by Sir Iain Chalmers Preface to the first edition Preface to the second edition

Chapter 1 Evidence-based physiotherapy: what, why and how? What is 'evidence-based physiotherapy? Why is evidence-based physiotherapy important? History of evidence-based health care How will this book help you to practise evidence-based physiotherapy?

Chapter 2 What do I need to know? Relevant clinical questions Refining your question

Chapter 3 What constitutes evidence? What constitutes evidence about effects of interventions? What constitutes evidence about experiences? What constitutes evidence about prognosis? What constitutes evidence about the accuracy of diagnostic and screening tests?

Chapter 4 Finding the evidence Search strategies Finding evidence of effects of interventions Finding evidence of prognosis and diagnostic tests Finding evidence of experiences Getting full text Finding evidence of advances in clinical practice (browsing)

Chapter 5 Can I trust this evidence? A process for critical appraisal of evidence Critical appraisal of evidence about the effects of intervention Critical appraisal of evidence about experiences Critical appraisal of evidence about prognosis Critical appraisal of evidence about diagnostic tests

Chapter 6 What does this evidence mean for my practice? What does this randomized trial mean for my practice? What does this systematic review of effects of intervention mean for my practice? What does this study of experiences mean for my practice? What does this study of prognosis mean for my practice? What does this study of the accuracy of a diagnostic test mean for my practice?

Chapter 7 Clinical guidelines as a resource for evidence-based physiotherapy What are clinical guidelines? History of clinical guidelines and why they are important Where can I find clinical guidelines? How do I know if I can trust the recommendations in a clinical guideline?

Chapter 8 When and how should new therapies be introduced into clinical practice? The life cycle of a medical innovation A case study Proposal for a protocol for introduction of new therapies Anticipation of some objections

Chapter 9 Making it happen What do we mean by 'making it happen? Changing is hard Evidence-based implementation Evidence-based physiotherapy in the context of continuous quality improvement

Chapter 10 Am I on the right track? Assessing patient outcomes: clinical measurement Assessing the process of care: audit Concluding comment

Index

About the Author

Professor Rob Herbert initially trained as a physiotherapist. Rob has an interest in clinical research and conducts randomised trials investigating the effects of physical interventions for motor impairment. He was a founding Director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Physiotherapy, which maintains the PEDro database (www.pedro.org.au), a unique database of randomised trials, systematic reviews and clinical practice guidelines in physiotherapy. Kare Birger Hagen is Director, Reviews and Health Technology Assessment at the Norweigen Institute of Public Health, Oslo Norway.

Reviews

'For clinicians who are currently swamped in the looming tide of research and evidence, it offers a life raft of clarity', Donovan K, Physical Therapy Reviews 10, 192.

"This book offers more than most standard texts.I highly recommend this book.”

Gillian Robb. EBM February 2008 Vol 12 No 1