Critically Appraised Topics (CATS)
The CATS on this site were written by graduate learners in the post-professional graduate course Evaluating Sources of Evidence offered through McMaster University and UBC.
CATS begin to provide direction for practice by asking a clinical question, reviewing the literature and summarizing the best available research evidence on the subject. These CATs were reviewed by the instructors and learners in the course but independent peer reviews were not conducted. They are not edited and appear as submitted by the learners who gave their permission for posting. Questions or feedback regarding these CATs may be addressed to the administrative manager.
| Critically Appraised Topics |
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| Berry, M. (2008). In older adults, there is insufficient statistical evidence to support or refute that physical activity combined with a simultaneous secondary task will improve mobility to a greater extent than physical activity alone. (PDF) | |
| Braund, A. (2007). Idiopathic Scoliosis - Interventions with Exercise and Manual Therapy. (PDF) | |
| Brown, J. (2010). The Effectiveness of Removable Walking Casts and Total Contact Casting in Decreasing Healing Time of Diabetic Foot Ulcers. (PDF) | |
| Duggan, M. (2006). There is insufficient evidence to establish the effectiveness of physiotherapy intervention in the rehabilitation of adults with fractures of the distal radius (PDF) | |
| Evans, A. (2010). Support for aerobic exercise training in heart failure (HF) patients. (PDF) | |
| Goff, P. (2006). Counter -positioning +/- physiotherapy or helmet therapy may reduce skull asymmetry in the infant with plagiocephaly. The most effective conservative interventions for torticollis and plagiocephaly cannot be determined (PDF) | |
| Gurman, L. (2006). There is some evidence to confirm the benefits of utilizing Animal Assisted Therapy to improve Depressive Symptoms in Adults (PDF) | |
| Hayes, A. (2008). What are the functional outcomes of Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT) in Schizophrenia? (PDF) | |
| Holly, J. (2009). Is daily passive muscle stretching effective at preventing losses of range of motion in adult spinal cord injured patients within a rehabilitation environment? (PDF) | |
| Holuboff, B. (2010). Does mobilization of the acutely ill elder on day of admission decrease their risk for developing delirium? (PDF) | |
| Hooper, J. (2009). Are lower extremity strengthening exercises as effective as strengthening and physical therapy modalities to allow active adults with early knee osteoarthritis to high impact activity? (PDF) | |
| Kennedy, D. (2006). The Effectiveness of Sensory Strategies Used in the Class room to Increase the Productivity of Students with Autism (PDF) | |
| Leclerc, A. (2006). The effectiveness of hard shell hip protectors in the prevention of hip fractures in the older adult population residing in residential care is uncertain (PDF) | |
| Marsh, L. (2007). There is insufficient evidence to recommend passive range of motion exercises over pendulum exercises for the first six weeks post total shoulder replacement. (PDF) | |
| McLean, A. (2007). For adults with traumatic brain injury, evidence does not support the remedial approach for memory, but does support attentional remediation for those with mild impairment, although lacks in demonstrating functional outcomes and in comparing effectiveness with the compensatory approach. (PDF) | |
| Richter, A. (2010). Is BAT or mCIMT more effective in producing improvement in affected UE ADL performance post stroke/CVA? (PDF) | |
| Sabarre , C. (2007). Current evidence suggests that Sensory Integration (SI) treatment interventions are as effective as other forms of therapy in behavioural outcomes for youth and young adults with early psychosis. (PDF) | |
| Shah, M. (2010). There is evidence to suggest that inpatient rehabilitation helps improve functional outcomes for elderly patients with hip fractures. (PDF) | |
| Strickey, S. (2007). There is evidence to suggest that partial weight-bearing gait training is no more effective than conventional gait training in achieving independent ambulation in a traumatic brain injury population. (PDF) |
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| Sylvest, D. (2007). There is evidence that strengthening exercises improve the ability of frail seniors living in residential facilities to transfer. (PDF) | |
| van Rijn, T. (2006). What is the effect of physiotherapy and neurostimulant medication with physiotherapy and placebo on the functional motor recovery of persons who have suffered stroke? (PDF) | |
| Widmer Leu, C. (2006). There is some clinical evidence that straight leg raises in the early period after cruciate ligament surgery do no harm to the graft or cause other negative outcomes (PDF) |
