Cerebral palsy check up: Supporting allied health professionals to provide the best service at the best time

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Cerebral palsy; Neurological - Other neurological disorders; Musculoskeletal - Other muscular and skeletal disorders; Physical Medicine / Rehabilitation - Occupational therapy

• Registration Number: ACTRN12616001616460
• Lead Sponsor: Christine Imms

Brief Summary

This study investigated whether a multi-strategy knowledge translation intervention would increase healthcare professionals' routine use of valid and reliable assessment tools when working with children with cerebral palsy. We implemented the study in five community disability service organisations. As part of the intervention, new routine assessment practices were introduced in four organisations (‘commencing KT’ group; 213 allied health professionals, 273 children). Routine assessment practices were already in in place at the fifth organisation (comparison group; 142 allied health professionals, 942 children). We showed that evidence-based assessment practices could be increased with support provided to health care professionals (tailored education and training; knowledge brokers as champions within the organisations) and organisational structures and processes (provision of an online-database for recording child-assessment findings; education and support of knowledge brokers; an electronic library of evidence-based approaches in cerebral palsy. We also found that changes in professionals' assessment behaviour were not dependent on changes in knowledge.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Results First Posted: 1900-01-01
• Study Completion: 2015-12-15
• Study Start: 2016-11-23
• Last Update Posted: 16 February 2021

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 447

Inclusion Criteria

The study has 2 groups:
The primary outcomes are focused on the Allied Health Professionals:
All physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech pathologists working, or having the potential to work with children with cerebral palsy in participating service providers, will be eligible to participate. There are no exclusion criteria.

The secondary outcomes are focused on children with cerebral palsy:
Children aged 3-18 years with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy will also be recruited to the study. There are no exclusion criteria.

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

• Study Type: Interventional
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
ongitudinal change in AHP evidence-based behaviours measured in two ways:<br>1) self report using the Evidence Based Practice Competency Questionnaire-Cerebral Palsy (Campbell et al., 2013) scored as two reliable sub-scales (Kerr et al.) and<br>2) actual AHP assessment behaviours evaluated using data extracted from the CP Check-Up TM database to assess changes in number of children receiving assessment (proportion of those eligible) and amount of evidence-based assessment provided (compliance score range 0-100). [Baseline, 6, 12 and 24 months];Longitudinal changes in AHP evidence based practice knowledge assessed using a knowledge quiz adapted from Campbell et al. 2013, [Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 24 months]