Needs for medical and rehabilitation services in adults with cerebral palsy in korea

Myung Woo Park, Won Sep Kim, Moon Suk Bang, Jae Young Lim, Hyung Ik Shin, Ja Ho Leigh, Keewon Kim, Bum Sun Kwon, Soong Nang Jang, Se Hee Jung

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective To investigate medical comorbidities and needs for medical and rehabilitation services of adults with cerebral palsy (CP) in Korea. Methods This was a prospective cross-sectional study. One hundred fifty-four adults with CP were enrolled in the study between February 2014 and December 2014. Information was obtained from participants regarding functional status, demographic and socioeconomic data, medical problems, and requirements for and utilization of medical and rehabilitation services. Results The participants included 93 males and 61 females with a mean age of 40.18±9.15 years. The medical check-up rate of adults with CP was lower than that of healthy adults and the total population with disabilities (53.2% vs. 58.6% vs. 70.4%). A quarter of the subjects failed to visit the hospital during the past year, and the main reason was the financial burden. Due to a cost burden and lack of knowledge, more than one-third of the subjects had unmet needs for rehabilitation services; the majority reported needs for rehabilitation services, such as physical therapy for pain management. Conclusion The medical check-up rate was lower in the adults with CP, even though their medical comorbidities were not less than those of healthy people. Several non-medical reasons hindered them from receiving proper medical and rehabilitation services. Such barriers should be managed effectively.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)465-472
Number of pages8
JournalAnnals of Rehabilitation Medicine
Volume42
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jun 2018

Keywords

  • Adult
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Comorbidity
  • Medical
  • Rehabilitation

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