Priorities in physical therapy research: A scoping review

Physical therapy is an ever-evolving profession. To improve research efficiency, it is crucial to identify knowledge gaps and establish research priorities.

To review priorities for physical therapy research, and to summarize the evidence into a global research agenda. As a secondary aim we sought to compare the priorities across studies.

We conducted a scoping review with searches in PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar to gather studies and grey literature. Studies were included if they involved physical therapists, physical therapy researchers, patients, or policymakers who determined a research agenda or conducted a study on priority setting in physical therapy research. Content analysis was performed by two independent reviewers to gather research priorities into main topics for a global research agenda.

Twenty-five records were included, most being original articles (n = 19), from high-income countries (n = 25). Nine studies established generic priorities for physical therapy research, while the remaining were dedicated to physical therapy specific fields. A total of 551 priorities were established since 2000 for general physical therapy and 7 specific physical therapy areas. A global research agenda was established with 9 priority categories for future research. Cost and effectiveness studies were the more frequently prioritized research priorities.

This review synthesized the literature on priorities for physical therapy research and provided a global physical therapy research agenda. These 9 priority categories can now be used to design future physical therapy studies and channel research efforts into questions that are relevant for multiple stakeholders and nationalities.