Promotion and facilitation of evidence-based physiotherapy

There are many obstacles to use of the best available evidence in routine physiotherapy clinical practice. The Centre offers a range of services to help overcome these obstacles:
Access to evidence: The Centre maintains PEDro, the Physiotherapy Evidence Database. PEDro is a database of randomised controlled trials, systematic reviews and evidence-based clinical practice guidelines in physiotherapy. It has been developed to give physiotherapists and others rapid access to abstracts and bibliographic details of the best evidence of treatment efficacy. Trials listed in PEDro are ranked by quality criteria to facilitate rapid access to the most valid evidence.
Critical Appraisal: The Centre conducts lectures and workshops to equip users with the skills to critically appraise clinical research.
Implementation: Even where clear evidence of treatment effects exists, implementing evidence-based practice can be difficult, especially if the evidence conflicts with current practice. The Centre facilitates the implementation of effective health care by working with individuals and groups on implementation projects. The Centre can assist parties to select implementation strategies that have been shown to lead to behaviour change in health professions.

Research

A major role of the centre is to conduct and promote research that evaluates physiotherapy practice and strategies to change physiotherapy practice. The centre's research includes clinical trials of therapies and implementation strategies, systematic reviews and methodological research.