PTJ: Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal (PTJ) is soliciting manuscript proposals for a special issue on embedded clinical research relevant to physical therapy and rehabilitation science. Proposals are due no later than September 1, 2025, and the special issue is scheduled for publication in 2026.
From the announcement:
Embedded Clinical Research: Pragmatic Trials, Big Data, and Beyond
Traditionally, clinical research has been kept separate from patient care because clinical research has prioritized the conduct of highly controlled and internally valid research about treatment efficacy. However, separating clinical research from clinical care can produce research findings that do not inform care in real-world clinical settings. Embedded clinical research is a method intended to make research more relevant to care by “embedding” the research as a part of care.
The use of embedded research is rising in many fields, and there is much to learn specific to physical therapy and rehabilitation science. Therefore, PTJ is launching a Special Issue to disseminate topics and exemplars relevant to embedded clinical research relevant to physical therapy and rehabilitation science. The articles in this Special Issue will contribute to the literature by: 1) improving our understanding of embedded research; 2) providing important guidance for those interested in conducting it; or 3) reporting primary or secondary outcomes from studies conducted with embedded designs (including but not limited to pragmatic trials).
Scheduled for publication in 2026, the Special Issue will include timely and important papers on topics relevant to physical therapy and rehabilitation science such as:
- Breakthroughs and advances in embedded clinical research methods
- Descriptions of implementation outcomes of interventions or management strategies intended to improve care within health systems
- Theoretical concepts or approaches for conducting relevant embedded clinical research
- Primary or secondary results from embedded pragmatic clinical trials
- Descriptions of embedded clinical research intended to improve clinical care among hard-to-reach populations or in lower-resource environments
- Lessons learned from an ongoing or completed embedded research project, including pragmatic trials