Do Authors and Editors Comply With Best Practice Reporting Guidelines for AFO Interventions in Studies Involving Children With Cerebral Palsy? A Scoping Review

ABSTRACT Background Ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) are a widely used intervention. To improve reporting of designs and alignments, guidelines were established in 2010. Three key details to report are, ankle angle of AFO (AA-AFO), shank-to-vertical angle of AFO footwear combination (SVA-AFOFC), and any tuning or optimizing process undertaken, as these alignments are essential for maximizing the effectiveness of AFOFC interventions. Objective To evaluate the extent to which authors and editors adhere to reporting guidelines, specifically reporting of AA-AFO, SVA-AFOFC, and tuning or optimization. Methods A search was conducted, of eight databases, MEDLINE, CINAHL, PEDro, Embase, PubMed, CDSR, AMED, and Scopus, for articles related to ‘ankle-foot orthosis’ and ‘cerebral palsy,’ dates 2010 to July 2024. Records were screened to identify full text articles on AFOs designed to be rigid. A customized checklist was developed for data extraction. Results The search yielded 558 records, 64 were full text articles using AFOs designed to be rigid, published across 35 journals. Only nine reported all three parameters, two reported two parameters, and 21 reported one parameter. There was limited awareness of the two key alignments, and the need to individualize and optimize them for the individual. Comparison of AFO designs was often undertaken without controlling for alignments. Conclusions Despite reporting guidelines and international consensus advocating for comprehensive documentation, reporting of key parameters was found to be inconsistent and inadequate. This highlights the need for detailed reporting of AFO interventions. Improving rigor and quality has the potential to advance the field toward more effective and evidence-based interventions. Clinical Relevance Statement Inadequate reporting of AFO alignments, specifically ankle angle of the AFO, shank-to-vertical angle of the AFO footwear combination, and any individualization, tuning or optimization of these alignments, limits the ability to replicate and evaluate orthotic interventions, potentially compromising treatment