Davidson Sue-Anne, Thornton Ashleigh, Hersh Deborah, Harris Courtenay, Elliott Catherine, Valentine Jane
Kids Rehab WA, Perth Children's Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Child Care Health Dev. 2025 Jul;51(4):e70100. doi: 10.1111/cch.70100.
Early detection of cerebral palsy (CP) risk is possible from 12 weeks corrected gestational age (CGA) using standardised assessments; however, up to half of children at risk are not referred early, missing out on early intervention. We investigated the barriers and facilitators to accessing early intervention from the perspective of parents of children who did not receive services by 6 months CGA.
Parents of children with CP were invited to participate in qualitative semistructured interviews. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data and develop themes.
Eight mothers of children who did not receive standardised screening participated in interviews, from which three themes, 'responding to delays', 'systemic barriers' and 'complexities of diagnosis', were developed from the data.
Parents require more support to access and engage in early detection services; health system processes are difficult to navigate, and health professionals require education and training to recognise risk factors for CP in all health settings and refer promptly. Improving system processes, education and training and partnering early with parents to improve their experience when interacting with the health system may increase early engagement and optimise long-term outcomes for children at risk of CP and their families.
使用标准化评估，从孕龄12周校正胎龄（CGA）开始就有可能早期发现脑瘫（CP）风险；然而，高达半数有风险的儿童未得到早期转诊，从而错失早期干预机会。我们从6个月CGA时未接受服务的儿童家长的角度，调查了获得早期干预的障碍和促进因素。
邀请脑瘫患儿的家长参与定性半结构化访谈。采用反思性主题分析对数据进行分析并形成主题。
8名未接受标准化筛查的患儿母亲参与了访谈，从这些数据中形成了“应对延迟”“系统障碍”和“诊断复杂性”三个主题。
家长在获得和参与早期检测服务方面需要更多支持；卫生系统流程难以操作，卫生专业人员需要接受教育和培训，以便在所有卫生环境中识别脑瘫的风险因素并及时转诊。改进系统流程、教育和培训，并尽早与家长合作以改善他们与卫生系统互动时的体验，可能会增加早期参与度，并为有脑瘫风险的儿童及其家庭优化长期结局。
