The Impact of Covid-19 on Multidisciplinary Care Delivery to Children with Cerebral Palsy and Other Neuromuscular Complex Chronic Conditions

Bibliographic Data

ID15716360
AuthorsHillary Brenda Nguyen (0000-0003-2263-6467, Harvard University), Neha Mulpuri (The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center), Danielle Cook (0009-0003-1958-8983, Boston Children's Hospital), Michael Greenberg (Boston Children's Hospital), Michael I Greenberg (0000-0002-5518-3743, Boston Children's Hospital), M Wade Shrader (0000-0002-8207-2109, Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children), Ryan M Sanborn (0000-0003-1449-2926, Boston Children's Hospital), Ryan Sanborn (Boston Children's Hospital), Kishore Mulpuri (0000-0002-7713-6278, University of British Columbia), Benjamin J Shore (0000-0002-5380-4307, Harvard University, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume10
Issue9
Pages1555-1555
Publication date2023-09-15
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueChildren (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2227-9067 • E-ISSN: 2227-9067
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/children10091555
PMID37761516
OpenAlexW4386779711
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited20

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented challenges in the care of children with cerebral palsy (CP) and other neuromuscular complex chronic conditions (NCCCs). The purpose of this study is to explore the direct impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare delivery. From May to August 2020, medical professionals caring for CP and NCCC patients across multiple countries and disciplines completed a self-administered cross-sectional survey comparing practices before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 79 healthcare workers from eight countries who participated-predominantly pediatric orthopedic surgeons (32%), pediatricians (30%), and pediatric physiatrists (23%)-most of them felt that caring for NCCC patients during the pandemic presented unique difficulties, and they reported a significant decrease in the in-person NCCC clinic volume ( p p p = 0.008), and botulinum toxin/phenol injections. Most providers affirmed that institutional guidelines for perioperative emergent/urgent and elective procedures, workplace settings, and technology were modified to accommodate the ongoing public health crisis. The usage of telemedicine significantly increased for NCCC patient visits ( p < 0.001). During the COVID-19 pandemic, many children with NCCCs lost access to routine, multidisciplinary care. Telemedicine became an integral part of communication and management. In the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic and with the threat of future healthcare disruptions, these data lay the foundation for trending the evolution of healthcare delivery and accelerating best practice guidelines for children with CP and NCCCs

Cerebral palsy · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Disease · Family medicine · Health care · Medical emergency · Multidisciplinary approach · Pandemic · Physical therapy · Public health · Telemedicine · Cerebral Palsy and Movement Disorders · Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 · Medicine · Nursing · Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation · Internal Medicine

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