Factors associated with splint fabrications by occupational therapists in Malaysia for children with cerebral palsy / Juliana Ibrahim

Splint fabrication by Malaysian occupational therapists is a routine part of their practice, but there remains little understanding of the factors that are associated with the decision to fabricate splints on children with cerebral palsy. This study aims to investigate the splint fabrication intervention; types of splint fabricated to children with cerebral palsy by occupational therapists in Malaysia and explore factors that are associated with splint fabrication. This study is a quantitative study using a cross-sectional. Questionnaires were distributed to all the occupational therapists who had experience in handling children with cerebral palsy in Malaysia through email. The questionnaire was adapted from a previous study and piloted to a few occupational therapists in Malaysia. A total of 69 occupational therapists that are registered with the Malaysian Occupational Therapy Association participated in this study. Findings show that 92.8% of respondents have fabricated splints on children with cerebral palsy, and the most popular type of splint fabricated is AFO. The variables found to be significantly associated with splint fabrication include working experience, and challenges. Interestingly, clinical and socio-demographic variables were not associated with splint fabrication on children with cerebral palsy. However, results suggest that challenge is one of the factors associated with splint fabrication and it is related to the clinical issue of the children with cerebral palsy and splint goals on children with cerebral palsy by the occupational therapists in Malaysia.