This study investigated parent satisfaction with the Minimal Motor Dysfunction Unit (MMDU), a service for clumsy children based in Adelaide. A questionnaire was developed and mailed to 102 parents whose children had attended the MMDU between 1991 and 1993. The response rate was 76 per cent. The level of parent satisfaction with the overall MMDU service was 86 per cent. Parents rated the processes of service delivery and the resulting outcomes as more important to them than structural aspects of the service. Based on parent comments, recommendations were made to assist in further improving the quality of the MMDU service. Parent satisfaction should be investigated as an outcome measure for other paediatric physiotherapy services.
The aim of this study was to identify strategies currently used by Australian physiotherapists involved in the management of children with minimal cerebral dysfunction (MCD) as a first step in exploring the role of physiotherapy in this area. A questionnaire was developed containing both closed and open ended questions regarding physiotherapy assessment and intervention in the management of MCD. A total of 464 subjects were reached through Australian Physiotherapy Association resources, of which 76 per cent responded. Of these respondents, 31 per cent (n=105) were involved in the management of children with MCD. Analysis of survey responses revealed a highly eclectic and inconsistent approach toward the assessment and treatment of children with MCD by Australian physiotherapists. These findings present a strong challenge to current physiotherapy practice in this client group. The present diversity of practice suggests an urgent need to establish more consistent assessment procedures and methods of outcome measurement.
Children with minimal cerebral dysfunction (MCD) are a large client group for many paediatric physiotherapists. The increasing number of research papers published in the area of MCD are often complex and difficult to interpret because the children to whom they refer do not form an easily definable, homogeneous group and their prognosis is unclear. This review presents a summary of current findings about MCD and poses a number of questions about physiotherapy intervention. The need for physiotherapists to validate their role in the management of children with MCD is emphasised.
This paper explores satisfaction with a newly developed physiotherapy service to preschools. In collaboration with the South Australian Department of Education Training and Employment, the School of Physiotherapy at the University of South Australia began a visiting physiotherapy service to Adelaide preschools in 1997. The service aims to provide on-site assessment and programming recommendations for children at risk of gross motor delay. In addition, training workshops run by the physiotherapist are held for preschool staff as part of the program. Physiotherapy students are involved in the visits and workshops as part of their clinical training. Satisfaction with the service was evaluated at the end of 1997 and 1998. The majority of comments from preschool directors, parents and physiotherapy students have been extremely positive and there is strong support for the service to continue.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.