Children with Cerebral Palsy and Unmet Need for Care Coordination
Myriam Casseus1, JenFu Cheng2,3,4
1Research Department, Children's Specialized Hospital, New Brunswick, NJ.
Insights
Children with cerebral palsy (CP) have more chronic health conditions and functional disabilities. Over half of these children experience unmet needs for essential health care coordination, highlighting a critical gap in care.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Neurology
- Public Health
Background:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) is a complex neurological disorder affecting physical and functional health in children.
- Effective care coordination is crucial for managing the multifaceted health needs of children with CP.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the physical and functional health status of children with cerebral palsy (CP).
- To determine the prevalence and associated factors of unmet healthcare coordination needs in children with CP.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from the 2016-2018 National Survey of Children's Health (n=102,341).
- Utilized bivariate and multivariable logistic regression to compare health conditions, functional disabilities, and care coordination between children with and without CP.
- Examined associations between sociodemographic factors and unmet care coordination needs.
Main Results:
- Children with CP exhibited significantly higher prevalence of chronic health conditions and functional disabilities compared to peers without CP.
- Prevalent conditions in children with CP included allergies (34.2%), anxiety (26.5%), and asthma (25.1%).
- Children with CP had higher odds of autism spectrum disorder (aOR=2.97) and mental health conditions (aOR=3.65). Over half (53.8%) experienced unmet care coordination needs, with significantly higher odds (aOR=2.63) than children without CP.
Conclusions:
- Children with CP face a high burden of chronic health conditions and functional impairments.
- A significant proportion of children with CP experience unmet needs for care coordination.
- Robust interventions are necessary to ensure effective care coordination for all children with CP.
Objective:
To examine the physical and functional health of children with cerebral palsy (CP) and determine the prevalence and correlates of unmet need for health care coordination among this population.
Methods:
We analyzed data from the 2016 to 2018 National Survey of Children's Health (n = 102,341). Bivariate and multivariable analyses were conducted to compare the prevalence of chronic health conditions, functional disabilities, and care coordination among children with and without CP. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the adjusted odds ratio of comorbid conditions, functional disabilities, and unmet need for care coordination. Associations between select sociodemographic factors and unmet need for care coordination were assessed.
Results:
Children with CP had significantly higher prevalence of all the comorbid conditions and functional disabilities examined. The most prevalent health conditions among children with CP were allergies (34.2%), anxiety (26.5%), and asthma (25.1%). Notably, children with CP had higher odds of autism spectrum disorder (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.97; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.40-6.30) and mental health conditions (aOR = 3.65; 95% CI 2.15-6.21). More than half (53.8%) of children with CP had unmet need for care coordination. They also had higher odds of unmet need for care coordination than children without CP (aOR = 2.63; 95% CI 1.69-4.10).
Conclusion:
Children with CP have high prevalence of chronic health conditions and are also more likely to have unmet need for care coordination. Given the complexity of CP, our study supports the need for robust efforts to ensure that all children with CP have effective care coordination.
