Psychosocial Care From the Cleft Provider Perspective in Low Resource Settings

Area of Science:

• Cleft lip and palate care
• Global health initiatives
• Psychosocial support services

Background:

• Multidisciplinary cleft care is essential but faces significant barriers in low-resource settings.
• Integrating comprehensive psychosocial services into cleft care remains a challenge globally.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate current psychosocial practices within cleft care in low-resource environments.
• To identify barriers and needs for effective psychosocial support in cleft management.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study utilizing a 20-item survey distributed to workshop attendees.
• Survey included quantitative and qualitative questions on psychosocial practices and challenges.

Main Results:

• Seventy-six respondents from Africa and Asia reported limited availability and accessibility of cleft-specific psychosocial care.
• Key challenges include a lack of specialized personnel, insufficient funding, and inadequate protocols for multidisciplinary integration.
• While multidisciplinary teams are common, psychosocial support is often not provided by cleft specialists.

Conclusions:

• Psychosocial service delivery in cleft care is significantly limited in low-resource settings.
• There is a critical need for more cleft-specialized psychosocial professionals, dedicated funding, and integrated protocols.
• Further research is essential to understand and improve psychosocial support for cleft patients in underserved regions.