A critical evaluation of the rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy.

Background. The aim of this study is to present the authors clinical experience in the rehabilitation of cerebral palsied children in the Podkarpacie district of Poland. Material and method. During the period 1989-2001 the authors treated 1980 children in the Outpatient Rehabilitation Clinic for Children at District Hospital No. 2 in Rzeszow, Poland. 712 of these children suffered from cerebral palsy. At present there are 1300 children living in Rzeszow and the vicinity under the permanent care of our outpatient clinic. The rehabilitation procedure consists of physioteraphy, long-term follow-up by rehabilitation specialists, otolaryngologists, and psychologists, and parent education. The children are also provided with orthopedic equipment and orthopedic treatment in all cases requiring surgery (4,7% of all the CP children). Conclusions. All problems involving the comprehensive rehabilitation of the children treated in our Outpatient Rehabilitation Clinic for Children are discussed. We also present conclusions on how to make access to rehabilitation easier for patients and improve the cooperation of the rehabilitation team.