The Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) has better free full-text access than PubMed: An observational study.

• Full-text access is essential for evidence-based practice. • Free full text is available for 51% (95% CI: 44, 58) of articles in PEDro. • PEDro provides 4% better access (95% CI: 1, 7) to free full text than PubMed. • Free full-text access via PEDro did not change with year or location. • A PDF locator website increased access to free full text by 9% (95% CI: 6, 14). Access to full-text articles is an essential element of evidence-based practice. Estimate the percentage of articles in the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) that have free full-text access and compare free access between PEDro and PubMed. Secondary objectives for access via PEDro: determine if publication year and geographic location impact on free access; determine if adding a link to a portable document format (PDF) locator website would improve free access; and evaluate the association between article characteristics and free access. This observational study used a random sample of 200 articles published in 2000–2019 and indexed in PEDro. Data collectors in Australia, Brazil, Nepal, and Spain attempted to access free full text for each article via PEDro. One data collector attempted to access free full text via PubMed. One data collector attempted to access full text via a PDF locator (http://www.pdfsearchengine.net/). The percentage (95% confidence interval [CI]) of articles with free full-text access from PEDro, PubMed, and the PDF locator website were calculated. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between free full-text access and article characteristics. Free full text could be accessed via PEDro for 51% of the articles (95% CI: 44, 58). PEDro had 4% higher free access than PubMed (95% CI: 1, 7). Access via PEDro did not vary systematically with time, geographic location, or article characteristics. Access improved by 9% (95% CI: 6, 14) by adding a PDF locator website. PEDro is a good source of free full-text articles for physical therapists and other rehabilitation professionals. Evidence resources, professional organisations, employers, researchers, and research agencies could all help to increase access to free full text. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]