Perspectives on cerebral palsy in Africa: Exploring the literature through the lens of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.
Sandra Abdel Malek, Peter Rosenbaum, Jan Willem Gorter
PMID 31856343WHAT IT FOUND
Most African cerebral palsy research focuses on impairments, not daily functioning.
In 27 studies, mobility was the main activity, participation and personal factors were rarely addressed, and only one study explicitly used the WHO disability framework.
Key findings
01The review included 27 articles, and the articles came from 10 African countries.
02Twenty of the included studies had a body functions and structures component.
03Only one included study explicitly used the ICF.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The search was done by one author in one database, so studies from other databases or African journals may have been missed. Only articles published from 2014 onward were included, so earlier research was not reviewed. The included studies came from 10 African countries, so they do not represent all 54 countries. Most studies looked at children, so there is little evidence about adolescents and adults with cerebral palsy. The review mapped study aims and outcomes to ICF domains; it did not test whether that mapping changes care. This is a literature review, not a study of patient outcomes.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that an intervention works or that ICF use improves outcomes. It is a review of 27 studies, not a treatment trial.