Management of cerebral palsy varies by healthcare region.

INTRODUCTION

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common type of motor disability in childhood. The aim of the present paper was to describe regional differences in the management of CP in school-aged children in Denmark.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study based on the Danish Cerebral Palsy Registry. The parents of 462 children answered a questionnaire about their child's treatment and the family's characteristics. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were performed for every treatment modality, stratified by the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level and adjusted for family and child characteristics.

RESULTS

Significant regional differences were found regarding the provision of occupational therapy at all GMFCS levels, speech therapy at GMFCS levels II-V and orthopaedic surgery at GMFCS levels I and III-V. No regional differences were observed in the frequency of physiotherapy. We found no regional differences in the severity of disability.

CONCLUSIONS

Regional differences in the management of CP cannot be explained by social differences or differences in the severity of the disability.

FUNDING

This study was funded by the Research Foundation from the Central Denmark Region and the Department of Clinical Medicine at Aarhus University Hospital, the Augustinus Foundation, the Bevica Foundation, the Dagmar Marshalls Foundation, the Ludvig and Sara Elsass Foundation, and the Civil Engineer Frode V. Nyegaard's and his Wife's Foundation.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

not relevant.