The CogTale Rating Scales
CogTale uses the following rating scales to evaluate the methodological quality of a study:
PEDro
The PEDro scale is a free, online resource developed by the Centre for Evidence-Based Physiotherapy. The PEDro scale evaluates a study’s methodological quality, allowing for the identification of study results which are valid and useful.
The scale consists of 11 items. The first item (“eligibility criteria were specified”) evaluates external validity (i.e. how ‘generalizable’ the findings of the study are to the wider population). Items 2-9 assess the study’s internal validity (i.e. the degree to which you can be confident that the results of the study are caused by one independent variable). Items 10-11 determine whether the study results are interpretable (i.e. whether sufficient statistical information has been provided). A point is awarded for each satisfied criterion. The total score of the PEDro scale is determined by summing the scores of criteria 2-11, thus, (excluding criterion 1), the methodological quality of the study is ranked based on a total score out of 10.
The PEDro scale was based on the Delphi list developed by Verhagen and collegues (for more information on the Delphi list please review: Verhagen et al., 1998). The reliability and validity of the PEDro scale has also been established by several studies (see: deMorton, 2009; Maher et al., 2003, as examples) and in some cases has been shown to be more comprehensive than other measures of methodological quality (see: Bhogal et al., 2005).
To download the PEDro Scale click here (PDF).
JADAD
The JADAD scale is a commonly used tool to assess the methodological quality of controlled trials. The scale consists of 7 items that assess three key methodological features of controlled trials: (1) randomisation (i.e. when study participants are assigned to a treatment or control group by chance), (2) blinding (i.e. minimising the risk of prior expectations of participants and researchers from influencing the reporting of results), and (3) withdrawals and dropouts (i.e. participants who fail to complete a study).
Researchers respond to questions using a Yes/No format (e.g. “was the study described as randomised?”). For items 1-5, one point (+1) is awarded for each satisfied criterion. Items 6 and 7 attract a negative score (-1). The total score of the JADAD scale is determined by summing the scores of criteria 1-7, and the methodological quality of the study is therefore based on a total score out of 5 (where 5 is the best score a study can achieve.
The JADAD has been shown to be an easy to use tool, with established reliability and external validity (see: Olivio et al., 2008 for an example of this).
Cochrane Risk of Bias (ROB)
The Cochrane Risk of Bias (ROB) tool provides a framework for evaluating potential sources of bias in the: study design, conduct, analysis, and reporting of results, in randomised controlled trials. The ROB tool evaluates the methodological quality of trials based on six bias domains:
- Selection bias: was participant allocation random, and concealed?
- Performance bias: were participants and study personal blinded from knowledge of which intervention a participant received?
- Detection bias: were outcome assessors blinded from knowledge of which intervention a participant received?
- Attrition bias: is there missing data, and how was this data treated?
- Reporting bias: is there evidence of selective reporting?
- Other sources of bias
Researchers formulate domain-level “judgements” about the risk of bias (i.e. “low risk”, “high risk”, or “unclear risk”) using evidence from the trial paper, trial protocol, and other sources. These domain-level judgements then provide the basis for an overall assessment of the risk of bias for the study being evaluated. For more detailed information on the methodology of the Cochrane ROB tool, please review: Higgins et al., 2011.
References and further reading
Bhogal, S. K., Teasell, R. W., Foley, N. C., & Speechley, M. R. (2005). The PEDro scale provides a more comprehensive measure of methodological quality than the Jadad scale in stroke rehabilitation literature. Journal of clinical epidemiology, 58(7), 668-673.
de Morton, N. A. (2009). The PEDro scale is a valid measure of the methodological quality of clinical trials: a demographic study. Australian Journal of Physiotherapy, 55(2), 129-133.
Higgins, J. P., Altman, D. G., Gøtzsche, P. C., Jüni, P., Moher, D., Oxman, A. D., ... & Sterne, J. A. (2011). The Cochrane Collaboration’s tool for assessing risk of bias in randomised trials. Bmj, 343, d5928.
Maher, C. G., Sherrington, C., Herbert, R. D., Moseley, A. M., & Elkins, M. (2003). Reliability of the PEDro scale for rating quality of randomized controlled trials. Physical therapy, 83(8), 713-721.
Olivo, S. A., Macedo, L. G., Gadotti, I. C., Fuentes, J., Stanton, T., & Magee, D. J. (2008). Scales to assess the quality of randomized controlled trials: a systematic review. Physical therapy, 88(2), 156-175.
Verhagen, A. P., de Vet, H. C., de Bie, R. A., Kessels, A. G., Boers, M., Bouter, L. M., & Knipschild, P. G. (1998). The Delphi list: a criteria list for quality assessment of randomized clinical trials for conducting systematic reviews developed by Delphi consensus. Journal of clinical epidemiology, 51(12), 1235-1241.
