Australian clinical consensus guideline for the subacute rehabilitation of childhood stroke

Abstract

Childhood stroke results in long-term, multifaceted difficulties, affecting motor, cognitive, communication, and behavioral domains of function which impact on participation and quality of life. The Childhood Stroke Consensus Rehabilitation Guideline was developed to improve the care of children with stroke by providing health professionals with recommendations to assist in their rehabilitative treatment. Clinical questions were formulated to inform systematic database searches from 2001 to 2016, limited to English and pediatric studies. SIGN methodology and the National Health and Medical Research Council system were used to screen and classify the evidence. The Grade of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation system was used to grade evidence as strong or weak. Where evidence was inadequate or absent, a modified Delphi consensus process was used to develop consensus-based recommendations. The guideline provides 56 recommendations (1 evidence-based recommendation and 55 consensus recommendations). These relate to the framework of rehabilitation service delivery as well as domain-specific rehabilitation treatment strategies for each domain of function. It is anticipated that this guideline will provide health professions with recommendations to improve the subacute care of children with stroke both in Australia and internationally.