Parents' and caregivers' satisfaction with community-based rehabilitation (CBR) services for children with disability in east coast states in Peninsular Malaysia

Exploring the Influence of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic on the Accessibility of Rehabilitation Services Provided to Children with Disabilities: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background and Objectives: Children with disabilities (such as cerebral palsy, autistic spectrum disorder, and Down syndrome) are the most vulnerable and marginalized subset of the population, representing 2.7% of the total population of Saudi Arabia. The COVID-19 outbreak might have disproportionately affected children with disabilities, augmented their isolation, and induced severe disruptions to the services on which these children rely. Limited research has been conducted in Saudi Arabia to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the rehabilitation services provided to children with disabilities and barriers. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the lockdown implemented as a result of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the accessibility of rehabilitation services, including communication, occupational therapy, and physical therapy, in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a survey was conducted between June and September 2020 during the lockdown in Saudi Arabia. A total of 316 caregivers of children with disabilities from Riyadh participated in the study. The accessibility of rehabilitation services provided to children with disabilities was assessed by designing a valid questionnaire. Results: A total of 280 children with disabilities received rehabilitation services before the COVID-19 pandemic and showed improvement following therapeutic sessions. However, during the pandemic, most children stopped receiving therapeutic sessions because of lockdown, which deteriorated their condition. This shows a significant reduction in the accessibility of the rehabilitation services provided during the pandemic. Conclusions: The findings of this study revealed a drastic decline in services provided to children with disabilities. This caused a notable deterioration in the abilities of these children.

Types of Community Support Services and Self-Efficacy for Continuous Community Living among Individuals with Disabilities and Caregivers

This study explored the impacts of five types of community support services (i.e., center-based care, home-based care, respite care, caregiver assistance, and financial subsidies) on self-efficacy for continuous community living among individuals with disabilities and caregivers.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional.

METHOD

The sample consisted of a group of individuals with disabilities (n = 948) and a group of caregivers (n = 522). A mixed ANOVA was applied to explore the differences in the perceived importance of improvements to community support services between the groups. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the perceived importance of improvements to types of community support services for self-efficacy for continuous community living.

RESULTS

Caregivers perceived higher levels of importance for improvements to community support services than individuals with disabilities. Both groups reported that financial subsidies were the most important area for improvement. The greater importance of improvements to financial subsidies reported by caregivers predicted greater odds for self-efficacy for continuous community living. The greater importance of improvements to center-based services reported by individuals with disabilities predicted greater odds for self-efficacy for continuous community living.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggested that financial subsidies for caregivers and center-based services for individuals with disabilities could improve self-efficacy for continuous community living.

Magnitude of Satisfaction and Associated Factors Among Caregivers of Children with Disabilities Towards Community-Based Rehabilitation Service in Central and North Gondar Zone, Northwest Ethiopia: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction

Community-based rehabilitation service (CBR) is a community development strategy set for persons with disabilities and their families. Measuring caregivers’ satisfaction is a recommended approach to know the overall satisfaction of rehabilitation service. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the magnitude of satisfaction and associated factors among caregivers of children with disabilities towards community-based rehabilitation in Central and North Gondar zone, North West Ethiopia.

Methods

A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March to September 2020. The data were collected by socio-demographic variables, types of services, types of disabilities, and Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8). Data analysis was done by SPSS Version-20 statistical software. Descriptive statistics, bi-variable, and multivariable logistic regression analysis were computed. The multivariable logistic regression analysis model a P-value <0.05 was used to identify the associated factors with caregivers’ satisfaction.

Results

The study showed that the overall caregivers’ satisfaction with community-based rehabilitation service among caregivers of children with disabilities was 60.9% (95% CI; 55–66%). Female gender (AOR: 0.19, 95% CI: 0.05–0.68), older age (AOR: 0.160, 95% CI: 0.03–0.85), being farmer (AOR: 0.14, 95% CI: 0.05–0.42), North Gondar zone residence (AOR: 7.02, 95% CI: 6.78–8.59), high monthly income (AOR: 2.48, 95% CI: 1.09–5.61), got two or more type of service (AOR: 3.65, 95% CI: 2.64–12.39), service duration 8–14 years (AOR: 4.36, 95% CI: 1.44–7.04) and service frequency 5–8 times per month (AOR: 3.91, 95% CI 2.18–7.01) were factors associated with the caregivers’ satisfaction on community based-rehabilitation service.

Conclusion and Recommendation

The magnitude of caregivers’ satisfaction with community-based rehabilitation services in the study area was more than half. Female gender, older age, being farmer, high monthly income, North Gondar zone residence, the high number of services, duration of services started and frequency of follow-up were factors significantly associated with caregiver’s satisfaction.