Compliance by cerebral palsy (CP) patients attending a child neurology service, in a developing country: a preliminary study.

In an attempt to determine the extent to which cerebral palsy patients complied with doctors' recommendations, by regularly attending the follow-up clinics of the Paediatric Neurology Unit of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu, the records of the CP patients seen in the Unit during three years (1985-1987) were scrutinized. A very high default rate of over 88% was noted. Of the 155 CP patients registered during the period, only 18 were still attending the clinic by the end of 1988, the follow-up period ranging from 12 to 47 months. Default from follow-up correlated significantly with the socio-economic status of the patients. There was no correlation between compliance and the type of CP, or the presence of other concurrent neurological disorders. It is thought that early recognition of factors that are associated with poor compliance is important. It will result in early identification of the group at risk for default, and in efforts being made to give them the support and advice that will enable them to benefit fully from the available services.