Information in English

This Evidence-based Guideline for Diagnosing and Follow-up of People with Cerebral Palsy (CP) was developed by the Norwegian Quality and Surveillance Registry for Cerebral Palsy (NorCP) in collaboration with the Regional Competence Service for Habilitation and the Norwegian CP Association.

A large number of health professionals and user representatives were involved in the development of the guideline from performing literature searches, quality assessments, GRADE evidence to decision discussions, and as authors of the advice and recommondations.

Goal
The overall goal of the guideline is to contribute to better and equal treatment of people with CP in Norway, as well as to increase competence and quality development of follow-up in the municipal and specialist healthcare services.

Target group

The primary target group for the guideline is health professionals in the specialist and municipal healthcare services who diagnose, provide treatment and follow-up of people with CP. It is also useful for professionals within the education, care and social services sectors who work with people with CP. The guideline may also be of interest to people with CP and their families.

Translations and language
The guideline is written in Norwegian but can easily be translated into any language by enabling the language settings in your web browser. Translations generated by web browsers are based on artificial intelligence (AI) and therefore some recommendations and advice in the translated versions may not make sense. Please take this into account and rather use the respective references to verify the meaning of the translated text. The authors and publishers of the guideline take no responsibility for the correctness or usefulness of the translated versions.

Methods
The evidence-based guideline was carried out according to a systematic, planned and documented process in accordance with the Norwegian Directory of Health. The recommendations in the guideline are based on knowledge from research, professional experience and user experience.

Extensive literature searches were conducted by professional librarians at the University of Oslo in 2022.

Research literature was screened by two independent reviewers, and quality appraisal of all included literature was conducted using one of the following standardized tools:

• AGREE II for guidelines

• AMSTAR II for systematic reviews of effect of interventions

• CASP for systematic reviews of non-intervention research

The GRADE - Evidence to Decision (EtD) framework was used to develop each specific clinical recommendation.

Structure of the recommendations

The guideline is structured according to the following 12 themes:

• Diagnosis

• Medical associated impairments

• Eating, drinking, swallowing and nutrition

• Muscle tone

• Motor function

• Orthopedics and orthoses

• Mental health

• Communication

• Cognition

• Transition to adulthood

• Alternative treatments

• Palliation

Publication, registration an update

The guideline was published in March 2024. While small updates will be made continuously, the next major update is planned to be published by December 31^st 2027.

The guideline was registered in PREPARE, registration number 2023CN482.

Contact

For questions and comments, please contact NorCP@ous-hf.no