Table 1. Meta-analysis and trial characteristics.
| Meta-analyses | Musculoskeletal | Cardio-respiratory | Neurology | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total No. of meta-analyses | 22 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 41 |
| Median No. of included trials (range) | 6 (3–33) | 7.5 (5–15) | 6.5 (5–23) | 6 (6–17) | 6 (3–33) |
| Median No. of participants (range) | 363 (122–3616) | 1079 (201–3109) | 282.5 (91–907) | 556 (236–7598) | 379 (91–7598) |
| Total No. of patients included | 19861 | 8397 | 2138 | 11946 | 42,342 |
| Main intervention | |||||
| Exercise | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 30 |
| Physical agents | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Acupuncture | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Manual therapy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Other | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| Outcomes | |||||
| Clinician assessed outcome | 8 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 21 |
| Self-reported outcome | 11 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 15 |
| Administrative data/automated outcome/laboratory | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Trials | |||||
| Total No. of trials | 192 | 67 | 52 | 42 | 353 |
| Parallel group trial | 190 | 62 | 47 | 40 | 339 |
| Single center trial | 150 | 49 | 43 | 32 | 274 |
| Active control interventions | 90 | 27 | 22 | 12 | 151 |