Analysis of a newly developed multidisciplinary program in the Middle East informed by the recently revised spina bifida guidelines.
Talia Collier, Jonathan Castillo, Lisa Thornton and 2 others
PMID 39213106WHAT IT FOUND
In a Qatar spina bifida clinic, shunts, continence problems, and mobility-device needs were common among 117 patients.
Recorded gaps included orthotics, wheelchairs, school access, and catheter supplies. This is descriptive, not outcome evidence.
Key findings
01A retrospective chart review at Sidra described 117 patients with spina bifida seen in a multidisciplinary clinic.
02Urologic and neurosurgical findings were common: 69 patients performed clean intermittent catheterization, 50 children aged 4 to 19 were documented as urine incontinent, and 66 of 89 patients with myelomeningocele had a ventricular peritoneal shunt.
03Mobility needs were prominent: 48 patients used wheelchairs, 26 used assistive devices, and 27 received physical therapy alone.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
It was a single-center retrospective chart review, so it cannot show that the clinic caused any change in care or outcomes. The review period was short, from January 2019 to June 2020, and the sample was small compared with larger registries. Data came from free-text electronic health records without clinic templates, so some information may have been missed or inconsistently recorded. Not all people with spina bifida in Qatar were necessarily captured, and records from outside hospitals were not available. There was no control group and no before-after comparison with earlier clinic care. Detailed statistical analysis and subcategory analysis were not possible because of unknown data fields and small group sizes.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the multidisciplinary clinic improved outcomes or that any single component caused the recorded findings. This was a retrospective chart review with no control group, no before-after comparison, and no outcome analysis, so it describes recorded characteristics and service barriers, not treatment effects.