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A Standardized Protocol for the Prospective Follow-Up of Cleft Lip and Palate Patients
Negar Salimi1, Aleksejūnienė Jolanta2, Yen Edwin1
11 Faculty of Dentistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Insights
A new protocol standardizes cleft lip and palate patient assessment, improving care and research. This comprehensive approach ensures consistent reporting, potentially reducing fistula occurrence in patients.
Area of Science:
- Craniofacial Surgery
- Medical Protocol Development
- Patient Care Standardization
Background:
- Cleft lip and palate (CLP) patient care lacks a unified assessment strategy.
- Existing clinical practices show significant variability in reporting and follow-up.
- This heterogeneity impacts both patient outcomes and research capabilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a standardized, all-encompassing protocol for assessing cleft lip and palate patients.
- To address clinical and research implications through a comprehensive framework.
- To establish a consistent methodology for CLP patient evaluation.
Main Methods:
- Conducted extensive electronic database searches for existing protocols.
- Contacted 13 major international cleft centers for insights.
- Reviewed available evidence and identified fistula-related risk determinants across four domains.
Main Results:
- No existing standardized protocol for cleft patient assessment was identified.
- Major cleft centers reported a lack of standardized comprehensive strategies.
- A protocol was developed encompassing sociodemographic, cleft defect, surgery, and fistula domains.
Conclusions:
- The developed protocol can enhance patient care through consistent reporting of multiple aspects.
- Standardized assessment facilitates multicenter research on cleft lip and palate.
- Implementation may contribute to reducing fistula occurrence in CLP patients.
Objective:
To develop a standardized all-encompassing protocol for the assessment of cleft lip and palate patients with clinical and research implications.
Method:
Electronic database searches were conducted and 13 major cleft centers worldwide were contacted in order to prepare for the development of the protocol. In preparation, the available evidence was reviewed and potential fistula-related risk determinants from 4 different domains were identified.
Results:
No standardized protocol for the assessment of cleft patients could be found in any of the electronic database searches that were conducted. Interviews with representatives from several major centers revealed that the majority of centers do not have a standardized comprehensive strategy for the reporting and follow-up of cleft lip and palate patients. The protocol was developed and consisted of the following domains of determinants: (1) the sociodemographic domain, (2) the cleft defect domain, (3) the surgery domain, and (4) the fistula domain.
Conclusion:
The proposed protocol has the potential to enhance the quality of patient care by ensuring that multiple patient-related aspects are consistently reported. It may also facilitate future multicenter research, which could contribute to the reduction of fistula occurrence in cleft lip and palate patients.
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