Table 3.
Sub-group analysis of included studies
| Sub-categories | Number* | Effect size** | 95%CI | Z | P | I 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bias | ||||||
| Good | 19 | -0.69 | -1.03 to -0.35 | 3.97 | <0.001 | 85.4% |
| Fair | 6 | -0.74 | -1.06 to -0.43 | 4.59 | <0.001 | 37.5% |
| Age group | ||||||
| Pediatric | 14 | -0.81 | -1.22 to -0.39 | 3.83 | <0.001 | 82.9% |
| Adult | 7 | -0.45 | -1.01 to 0.10 | 1.59 | 0.11 | 84.0% |
| Both | 4 | -0.53 | -0.81 to -0.26 | 3.0 | 0.003 | 77.7% |
| Design | ||||||
| Parallel | 15 | -0.59 | -1.04 to -0.13 | 2.51 | 0.01 | 85.5% |
| Cross-over | 10 | -0.85 | -1.13 to -0.57 | 5.96 | <0.001 | 68.2% |
| Procedure | ||||||
| Dressing | 12 | -0.66 | -1.20 to -0.11 | 2.37 | 0.02 | 87.1% |
| Physical therapy | 8 | -0.63 | -0.95 to -0.31 | 3.84 | <0.001 | 72.2% |
| Debridement | 3 | -0.91 | -1.55 to -0.28 | 2.81 | 0.005 | 77.7% |
| Wound care | 0 | -0.35 | -1.29 to 0.59 | 0.73 | 0.46 | 0 |
*: number of studies, **: Standard mean difference. CI: confidence interval.