1 - IASO Children's Hospital, Paediatrics, Athens, Greece.
2 - Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Ispra, Italy.
3 - Sykehuset i Vestfold HF, Norwegian Quality and Surveillance Registry for Cerebral Palsy (NorCP), Tønsberg, Norway.
4 - Unidade Funcional de Neonatologia, Área de Pediatria, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Lisboa Central, Lisboa, Portugal.
5 - Programa de Vigilância Nacional da Paralisia Cerebral em Portugal, Lisboa, Portugal.
6 - University of Pecs, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, Pécs, Hungary.
7 - University of Ljubljana, Medical Faculty and UMCL, Children’s Hospital, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
8 - UMCL, Children’s Hospital, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
9 - Childhood Disability Registry in Haute-Garonne, University Hospital, Toulouse; CERPOP, UMR1295 Toulouse University, Inserm, Paul Sabatier University, Toulouse, France.
10 - Clinical Epidemiology Unit, University Hospital, Toulouse, France.
- 35th EACD Annual Meeting - Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Introduction. Health care disparities in the prevalence and severity of CP are known to be related to socioeconomic and minority status, maternal education and gender. This survey aimed to record needs and barriers to health care in European children with CP.
Methods. A 27-item survey addressing availability and financing of health services was completed by 61 European clinicians and researchers, experts in CP and childhood disability, from 29 countries, between 29 April and 22 July 2022.
Results. In 70% of the responses availability of both public and private health care services was reported; in the rest, services were reported to be provided only via a public health system. Long waiting lists for public health providers were reported by 61% of the responders. No insurance coverage for parts of the population was recorded in 38% of the responses. Availability of specialised physicians for diagnosis and management of CP was reported by most, with Child Neurologists and Paediatric Orthopedic Surgeons prevailing in 93% of the responses. Availability of P/T, O/T, Speech and Language therapists trained in CP was reported by 90%; services for early diagnosis and early intervention in CP, by 80%. Variability of health care services was recorded within the same country, depending on location.
Conclusion. Availability and accessibility to health care for people with CP is not uniform among European countries and varies within the same country. Moreover, public health services and insurance coverage for people with CP have to be improved in several areas. Relevance for users and families. Exploring health care needs and inequalities in the care of children with CP is important for implementing early and effective preventative and intervention policies even in high and middle-income countries.
Palavras Chave: cerebral palsy, Europe, health services, inequalities, socioeconomic determinants