Table 3 Trial and recruitment characteristics for the included 512 stroke rehabilitation RCTs
|  | Trial characteristic categories | Number of RCTs in this category (percentage of total, n = 512) |
|---|---|---|
Publication date | 2009 and before | 250 (49%) |
2010 and after | 262 (51%) | |
Trial size | 21 or fewer participants | 128 (25%) |
22–34 participants | 134 (26%) | |
35–60 participants | 121 (24%) | |
61–99 participants | 66 (13%) | |
100 or more participants | 63 (12%) | |
Stroke survivor residence | Community | 100 (19%) |
Hospital | 96 (19%) | |
Rehabilitation or stroke-specific environment | 192 (37%) | |
Othera | 19 (4%) | |
Unreported | 105 (21%) | |
Type of intervention | Using a technological aid (any form of equipment to assist the rehabilitation intervention) | 270 (59%) |
Not using a technological aid | 189 (41%) | |
Unreported | 53 (10%) | |
Funding source | Research council | 102 (20%) |
Government | 65 (13%) | |
Charity | 51 (10%) | |
University | 38 (7%) | |
No funding | 50 (9%) | |
Industrya | 15 (3%) | |
Combinationa | 22 (4%) | |
Unreported | 169 (33%) | |
Ethics approval | Hospital/health board | 191 (37%) |
University | 158 (31%) | |
Unreported | 163 (32%) | |
Targeted impairment | Arm function | 169 (33%) |
Leg function | 94 (18%) | |
Overall disability | 137 (27%) | |
Cognitive or vision | 61 (12%) | |
Unreported | 51 (10%) | |
Stage of rehabilitation | Acute (0–1 month) | 82 (16%) |
Acute–subacute | 43 (8%) | |
Subacute (1–6 months) | 62 (12%) | |
Subacute–chronic | 37 (7%) | |
Chronic (> 6 months) | 193 (38%) | |
Any stagea | 13 (3%) | |
Unreported | 82 (16%) | |
Control condition | Inactive control (form of control that lasts for the same duration as the intervention but does not have a known effect [17]) | 55 (11%) |
Active control (typically a comparison intervention which is known to have an effect but would not be characterised as standard care [18]) | 246 (48%) | |
Usual care (standard care received) | 159 (31%) | |
Unreported | 52 (10%) | |
Continent of recruitment | Europe | 176 (34%) |
Asia | 137 (27%) | |
North America | 102 (20%) | |
Australasia (Australia or New Zealand)a | 31 (6%) | |
Other | 66 (13%) | |
Recruitment strategy | Screening admissions | 100 (20%) |
Screening inpatients | 81 (16%) | |
Screening community dwelling stroke survivors | 42 (8%) | |
Screening dischargea | 14 (3%) | |
Screening databasesa | 24 (5%) | |
Referralsa | 11 (2%) | |
Advertisementsa | 23 (4%) | |
Combination of the abovea | 31 (6%) | |
Unreported | 186 (36%) | |
Profession of recruiter | Medical professional | 47 (9%) |
Allied health professional or nurse | 89 (17%) | |
Research team member | 49 (10%) | |
Combination of the abovea | 20 (4%) | |
Unreported | 307 (60%) | |
Number of recruiters | One | 57 (11%) |
Two or three | 59 (11%) | |
Four or more | 38 (7%) | |
Unreported | 358 (70%) | |
Number of recruiters per site | One recruiter covering multiple sites | 18 (4%) |
One recruiter per site | 47 (9%) | |
Between one and two recruiters | 38 (7%) | |
More than two recruiters | 30 (6%) | |
Unreported | 379 (74%) |