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Medical equipment use in children with disabilities: A descriptive survey
Dawn E Peredo1, Beth Ellen Davis, Daniel C Norvell
1Developmental Pediatrics, Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, WA, USA.
Insights
Children with disabilities use recommended medical equipment, with therapists identifying most needs. Pediatricians require more expertise in providing assistive devices for children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Rehabilitation
- Assistive Technology
- Disability Studies
Background:
- Children with disabilities often require specialized medical equipment to enhance function and participation.
- Understanding the types of equipment used, reasons for use or non-use, and prescription patterns is crucial for optimizing care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the utilization of medical equipment among children with disabilities.
- To identify the primary reasons for equipment use and non-use.
- To determine the roles of different healthcare professionals in prescribing this equipment.
Main Methods:
- A survey was conducted with caregivers of children aged 0-21 years with motor disabilities.
- Data were collected through interviews regarding owned equipment, diagnoses, and usage patterns.
- The study included a convenience sample from a referral clinic for developmental conditions.
Main Results:
- 108 families reported 467 pieces of equipment, averaging 4.3 per child.
- Commonly used equipment included orthotics, bath chairs, seating devices, and augmentative communication devices.
- Therapists (physical or occupational) were the primary recommenders (76%) of new equipment, while physicians solely prescribed for 15%.
Conclusions:
- Children with neuromuscular disabilities generally use medically recommended equipment.
- Therapists play a key role in identifying equipment needs for pediatric patients.
- Pediatricians could benefit from enhanced training and expertise in the provision of medical equipment for children.
Objective:
To investigate the use of medical equipment by children with disabilities, the reasons for use, and prescribers of equipment.
Methods:
A convenience sample.
Setting:
Referral clinic for children with developmental conditions.
Participants:
Caregivers of children with motor disabilities completed an interview survey for children 0-21 years.
Results:
108 parents/caregivers reported 467 (mean=4.3 per patient) pieces of owned equipment. The mean age of children was 7.1 years (± 5.0), and 49% were female. The most common diagnoses were cerebral palsy (45%), 'Other' diagnoses including intellectual disability (19%), genetic abnormality (13%), spina bifida (13%), and neuromuscular diseases (7%). Survey participants described use of the following types of equipment: orthotics (82%), bath chair (37%), seating device (34%), stander (19%), augmentative communication devices (17%), walker (14%), and gait trainer (10%). Reasons for "non-use" of equipment included: outgrown (19%), not useful (14%), and child refusal (15%). Physicians were the sole prescriber for 15% of families, whereas physical or occupational therapists most commonly recommended new equipment (76%).
Conclusion:
Based on parental report, children with neuromuscular disabilities use most equipment that is medically recommended. The majority of equipment needs are identified by therapists. Pediatricians can benefit from additional expertise in the provision of medical equipment for children.
