Author: Jo-Anne TomiePublisher:
ISBN:
Category : Cerebral palsied children
Languages : en
Pages : 56
Book Description
The Glenrose Hospital, Edmonton is considering routine clinical use of computerized gait analysis techniques in the management of children with cerebral palsy or spina bifida who have significant walking disorders. About 100 children per year could be examined to assist with decisions on their treatment. Evidence of clinical benefit from use of modern gait analysis techniques is sparse. These technologies seem helpful in detecting within-subject gait changes, and between-subject gait differences. However, available evidence is insufficient to draw conclusions about the effects of computerized gait analysis on treatment outcomes. Cost per examination with a facility of the sort proposed by the hospital might be of order of $1,800 - $2,200. Cost per patient would depend on the extent of follow-up gait analysis after treatment. On the basis of information available for this report, computerized gait analysis is a potentially useful technology in the clinical management of persons with walking disabilities, but its efficacy is not established. It is suggested that, if computerized gait analysys is adopted for routine clinical use by the Glenrose hospital, it should be regarded as a developing technology and its application linked to systematic collection and assessment of patient outcomes and cost data under well-defined protocols.
