Enhancing the Reporting Quality of Rehabilitation Interventions Through an Extension of the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR): The TIDieR-Rehab Checklist and Supplementary Manual

Abstract

Background Rehabilitation is a complex biopsychosocial process in which multidisciplinary professionals work in collaboration with a person and their family, with the shared objective of enhancing the person’s participation in valued life roles. Hence, rehabilitation is integral to the management of numerous health conditions. However, poor descriptions of rehabilitation interventions, including their essential elements and dosage parameters, pose a significant barrier to their replication in clinical practice. This further limits the synthesis of rehabilitation research and the consequent advancement of the field. The original Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist and guide provides a valuable foundation for reporting but is not specific to rehabilitation. The TIDieR-Rehab checklist, an extension of the original TIDieR, was developed to enhance the reporting of rehabilitation interventions.

Objective This paper presents the TIDieR-Rehab checklist and supplementary manual.

Methods In accordance with the Enhancing the Quality and Transparency of Health Research (EQUATOR) Network and other relevant guidelines, the TIDieR-Rehab checklist and supplementary manual were developed through a modified Delphi process with individuals with rehabilitation expertise and was guided by an interdisciplinary Steering Committee.

Results The TIDieR-Rehab checklist and supplementary manual present seven original, three adapted and 12 new items to enhance the reporting of rehabilitation interventions. New items promote full descriptions of critical aspects of rehabilitation interventions, including the intended study population (Who) and timing of the intervention (When), the planned intervention dosage (How much, How challenging and Regression/Progression), person-centred care (Personalisation) and negative undesired effects (Harms). Explanations and examples of good reporting, provided within the TIDieR-Rehab supplementary manual, provide comprehensive guidance to support users of the checklist.

Conclusions The TIDieR-Rehab checklist and supplementary manual present a systematic approach to the comprehensive reporting of rehabilitation interventions. The checklist is intended to support replication, evaluation and optimisation of rehabilitation interventions through improved reporting quality.