It has been 25 years since we launched the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro). PEDro is a free database of over 63,000 trials, reviews and guidelines to inform physiotherapy practice. Now used in over 200 countries and searched every 10 seconds, PEDro has become an essential resource for clinicians, researchers, and educators worldwide.
To celebrate this milestone, we brought together a global community of experts to reflect on the profound impact PEDro has had on evidence-based physiotherapy. Through four hybrid and online events spanning multiple regions, we celebrated PEDro’s contributions, explored its evolving role, and discussed its future in advancing physiotherapy research and practice.
PEDro’s Global Impact
We began the celebration by acknowledging the significant influence of PEDro, which has become a cornerstone of evidence-based physiotherapy. From its humble beginnings to its current status as a globally recognised resource, PEDro’s success has been driven by a spirit of vision and collaboration: the dedication of those involved in curating its content, assessing the methodological quality of each clinical trial, developing and disseminating learning resources, translating the resource into 17 languages and promoting its use continues to expand its reach and impact.
Over recent years, the volume of research of the effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions is growing exponentially which has meant the work of maintaining the resource has grown exponentially. The ongoing support of the physiotherapy community will be vital in shaping its future and ensuring it remains a vital tool for practitioners worldwide. Want to know more about supporting PEDro: You can sign up to start supporting PEDro.
PEDro overview
The celebration continued with an overview of PEDro’s resources and its evolution to support physiotherapists in integrating evidence-based practice into their work. The research-driven aspects of PEDro illustrated how it contributes to high-quality research and ongoing advancements in physiotherapy. A video highlighting the PEDro raters recognised the dedicated team of volunteers responsible for evaluating and rating research articles, ensuring the reliability and accuracy of the database, and PEDro’s sibling, the Diagnostic Test Accuracy database (DiTA): https://dita.org.au/ was also commemorated.
Physiotherapy Associations
Key figures across global physiotherapy associations emphasised PEDro’s role in their countries and their collaboration with PEDro. In Australia PEDro has played a pivotal role in fostering evidence-based practices and underpinning professional pathways through a long partnership. Leaders across South America, South Africa, Germany, Poland discussed how PEDro has supported and advanced evidence practice in clinical and educational settings, and the opportunities to contribute to the accessibility and quality of the resource
Clinical Practice
Speakers provided examples of how the PEDro resource has impacted clinical practice across the globe. PEDro has guided clinical decision-making to improve patient outcomes, been integrated into clinical practice and educational curricula, and has been an significant resource for physiotherapists with their expanding leadership roles in healthcare.
Education and Research
We heard accounts of PEDro’s substantial global impact on education and research and broader impact on clinical decision-making, practice and future research. Academics in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Greece, UK and USA highlighted how PEDro has supported and impacted physiotherapy education and evidence integration into training programs, research and academic curricula.
Insights into the future of PEDro
The experiences and ideas shared by our speakers throughout the event sparked rich and thought-provoking discussions about the future of evidence-based physiotherapy.
The events were concluded acknowledging the many organisations and volunteers who have contributed to PEDro over the past 25 years. PEDro holds a key position in shaping the future of evidence-based physiotherapy practice, yet there are limited resources for sustainability. Attendees and the global physiotherapy community were invited to play a role through collaboration and funding to ensure PEDro remains freely available.
We express our sincere gratitude to all those who have contributed to PEDro’s success over the years. The events reaffirmed the immense value of PEDro in advancing the physiotherapy profession, and we look forward to the continued growth of this essential resource as we work together to promote evidence-based practice in the years to come.
You can find the video of the events below:
- Asia West Pacific: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IXfqMz7x6s
- Africa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUqiyIH1FEc
- Europe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fYUq5ll87g
- America: https://youtu.be/WPkR2UYrcp0
We acknowledge and thank the following contributors to the 25th anniversary celebration events.
Event hosts: Prof Steve Kamper, Dr Tie Yamato, A/Prof Bruno Saragiotto, A/Prof Kim van Schooten, Prof Cathie Sherrington, Geraldine Wallbank
PEDro’s global impact: Prof Rob Herbert, Neuroscience Research Australia; Prof Chris Maher; Dr Anne Moseley; Prof Cathie Sherrington; Prof Mark Elkins; Courtney West, University of Sydney, Australia.
PEDro overview: Dr Tiê Yamato, University of Sydney, Australia; Prof Mark Elkins, Co-director of PEDro; Prof Yannick Tousignant-Laflamme, Université de Sherbrooke, PEDro Sherbrooke Canada satellite; Courtney West, University of Sydney.
Physiotherapy associations: Dr Rik Dawson, Australian Physiotherapy Association; A/Prof Oscar Rinzo, Universidad Nacional Arturo Jauretche, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Chair of World Physiotherapy South America Region; Prof Corlia Brandt, South African Society of Physiotherapy, South Africa; Stefan Hegenscheidt, Physio-Deutschland, Germany; Prof Maciej Płaszewski and Weronika Krzepkowska, Polish Chamber of Physiotherapists, Poland; A/Prof Matthieu Guemann, French Physiotherapy Association, France.
Clinical practice: Dr Simone Dorsch, Australian Catholic University, Australia; A/Prof Judy King, University of Ottawa, Canada; Prof Kare Birger Hagen, Norwegian Institute of Public Health; Dr Daniel Treacy, Southeast Sydney Local Health District, Australia; Arno Tijssen, Royal Dutch Society of Physical Therapy
Education and research: Prof Alice Jones, University of Queensland, Australia; Prof Jena Ogston, College of St. Scholastica, USA; A/Prof Cinara Sacomori, Universidad del Desarrollo, Chile; A/Prof Bruno Saragiotto, University of Technology Sydney, PEDro Brazil Satellite; A/Prof Fabianna Moraleida, Federal University of Ceará, Brazil; A/Prof Luciana Macedo, McMaster University, Canada; Prof Sallie Lamb, University of Exeter, UK; Prof Maria Constantinou, Southern Cross University, Australia.
Acknowledgements and looking forward: Prof Cathie Sherrington and Geraldine Wallbank, University of Sydney, Australia.
Event operations: Geraldine Wallbank, Alexandra Edmondson, Sara Brady, Courtney West, Eleni-Grace Black, Hanan McLachlan, Rui Chang, Lauren Cameron, Marina de Barros Pinheiro, Navneet Saluja, Zhi Wei Yang, Zixin Zhang, Chathurani Sigera, Giane Caon Camara.
Want to learn more about supporting PEDro? Click here.
Prepared by Kim van Schooten, Geraldine Wallbank and Tiê Yamato.