Bmc Pediatr
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Comparative Study Pragmatic Clinical Trial
The impact of hospital-based and community based models of cerebral palsy rehabilitation: a quasi-experimental study.
Cerebral palsy requires appropriate on-going rehabilitation intervention which should effectively meet the needs of both children and parents/care-givers. The provision of effective support is a challenge, particularly in resource constrained settings. A quasi-experimental pragmatic research design was used to compare the impact of two models of rehabilitation service delivery currently offered in Harare, Zimbabwe, an outreach-based programme and the other institution-based. ⋯ Long term caregiving leads to strain in caregivers and there is a need to design interventions to alleviate the burden. The study was a pragmatic, quasi-experimental study thus causality cannot be inferred. However findings from this study suggest that the provision of care within a community setting as part of a well-structured outreach programme may be preferable method of service delivery within a resource-constrained context. It was associated with a greater improvement in functioning, greater satisfaction with services and better compliance.