Measures of Function in Physical Therapy Assessment of Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Clinical Audit

Abstract

Introduction. The assessment of outcomes in children with cerebral palsy (CP) is important for monitoring their progress, evaluating interventions, and guiding health policies. This study aimed to (1) identify the most common outcome measures used in the clinics to assess function in children with CP, and (2) determine whether the outcome measures used in the clinics meet the current standards of assessment for the purpose of improving patient care decisions, research, and quality assurance. Methods. A retrospective record audit study design was used to determine if the current practice in the clinics on the assessment of function in children with CP meets the current standards of assessment. Results. 96 charts with initial evaluation were reviewed from 5 pediatric institutions within Metro Manila that agreed to participate in this study. 18 out of these 96 charts (18.7%) met the current standards of assessment using gross motor function measure (GMFM), whereas 78 out of these 96 charts (81.3) used a descriptive type of assessment such as gait analysis (GA) [20.9%], activities of daily living (ADL) analysis [79.1%], functional muscle testing (FMT) [44.2%], gross motor skills assessment [37.2%], advanced motor skills assessment [23.3%], balance assessment [4 .7%], developmental milestone assessment [2.3%], and self-adaptive measure [2.3%]. Discussion. The findings showed that most clinics prefer to use a descriptive type to assess function in children with CP. Furthermore, it was revealed that the pediatric institutions that agreed to participate in this study did not meet the current standards of assessment.