CP-Life Research Centre awarded two Health Research Board Investigator Led Project Awards

We are delighted to have been awarded two awards under the Health Research Board Investigator-Led Projects scheme.

Director of CP-Life Research Centre, Jennifer Ryan, is leading a project to support implementation of a surveillance programme to prevent musculoskeletal complications among children with cerebral palsy. There is strong evidence from other countries that regular physiotherapy-led assessments and x-rays on children with CP from age 2 years can identify musculoskeletal complications early, such as hip dislocation and contractures, and provide treatments to lessen the risk of getting complications in the future. In this study, Jennifer and the team will explore which children in Ireland currently receive these assessments. They will then interview health professionals such as physiotherapists and orthopaedic surgeons in Ireland and the UK to find out what helps them to offer this surveillance programme to all children. They will also ask parents and children who are already included in the programme what they think about it. The team will use this information to develop strategies to support health professionals and organisations to provide regular assessments to all children with cerebral palsy on the island of Ireland.

Programme lead for Physical Activity and Rehabilitation at CP-Life, Ailish Malone, is leading a project to understand the rehabilitation needs of childhood brain tumour survivors, and to develop a pathway for providing rehabilitation. Ailish and the team will conduct in-depth interviews with young people who were diagnosed with a brain tumour, their families, and healthcare professionals across multiple disciplines and identify where their needs and gaps lie. Next, they will measure physical and cognitive (thinking and remembering) function in children newly diagnosed with a brain tumour over one year after treatment, to find out how best to monitor their needs and determine which interventions might be important. Finally, in a process called co-design, they will bring together young people, their parents, healthcare professionals and policy makers to design a pathway for rehabilitation.