Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 51-4inkOmslag | Page 9

17 18 19 20 UTD: unable to determine. Yes/No/UTD Yes/No/UTD Yes/No/UTD Yes/No/UTD Yes/No/UTD Yes/No/UTD Yes/No/UTD Item based dredging 1 0 16 Yes/No/UTD 243 13 Yes/No Yes/No 12 Yes/No 11 Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No 10 Yes/No 9 4 6 7 Yes/No 3 Is the hypothesis/aim/objective of the study clearly described? Are the main outcomes to be measured clearly described in the Introduction or Methods section? Are the characteristics of the patients included in the study clearly described? Are the interventions of interest clearly described? Are the main findings of the study clearly described? Does the study provide estimates of the random variability in the data for the main outcomes? Have the characteristics of patients lost to follow-up been described? Have actual probability values been reported? External validity Were the subjects asked to participate in the study representative of the entire population from which they were recruited? Were those subjects who were prepared to participate representative of the entire population from which they were recruited? Were the staff, places, and facilities where the patients were treated, representative of the treatment the majority of patients receive? Internal validity - bias If any of the results of the study were based on ”data dredging”, was this made clear? In trials and cohort studies, do the analyses adjust for different lengths of follow-up of patients, or in case-control studies, is the time period between the intervention and outcome the same for cases and controls? Were the statistical tests used to assess the main outcomes appropriate? Was compliance with the intervention/s reliable? Were the main outcome measures used accurate (valid and reliable)? Possible answers Reporting Main study clearly described? Modified Downs and Black Checklist for Measuring Study Quality 2 Appendix 1. Modified Downs and Black Checklist 1 Davies AH. Randomised controlled trial: potential benefit of a footplate neuromuscular electrical stimulation device in patients with chronic venous disease. Eur J Vasc Endovasc 2017; 53: 114–121. 13. Wou J, Williams KJ, Davies AH. Compression stockings versus neuromuscular electrical stimulation devices in the management of occupational leg swelling. Int J Angiol 2016; 25: 104–109. 14. Man IOW, Lepar GS, Morrissey MC, Cywinski JK. Effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on foot/ankle volume during standing. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2003; 35: 630–634. 15. Man IOW, Morrissey MC, Cywinski JK. Effect of neuromus- cular electrical stimulation on ankle swelling in the early period after ankle sprain. Phys Ther 2007; 87: 53–65. 16. Devrimsel G, Turkyilmaz AK, Yildrim M, Beyazal MS. The effects of whirlpool bath and neuromuscular electrical stimulation on complex regional pain syndrome. J Phys Ther Si 2015; 27: 27–30. 17. Faghri PD. The effects of neuromuscular stimulation indu- ced muscle contraction versus elevation on hand edema in CVA patients. J Hand Ther 1997; 10: 29–34. 18. Broderick BJ. Kennedy C, Breen PP, Kerns SR, O’Laighin G. Patient tolerance of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) in the presence of orthopaedic implants. Med Eng Phys 2011; 33: 56–61. 19. Nayak BK. Understanding the relevance of sample size calculation. Indian J Ophthalmol 2010; 58: 469–470. Effectiveness of NMES for reducing oedema: a systematic review J Rehabil Med 51, 2019