The effects of rehabilitation on functional independence of Eastern Taiwanese children with rare or genetic diseases

Yu-Chuan Lin; Chun-Ying Weng; Chung-Chao Liang; Shao-Yin Chu

doi:10.4103/tcmj.tcmj_170_22

The effects of rehabilitation on functional independence of Eastern Taiwanese children with rare or genetic diseases

Tzu Chi Med J. 2023 Feb 22;35(3):221-225. doi: 10.4103/tcmj.tcmj_170_22. eCollection 2023 Jul-Sep.

Authors

Yu-Chuan Lin¹, Chun-Ying Weng², Chung-Chao Liang³, Shao-Yin Chu^{2

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Affiliations

¹ Department of Nursing, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan.
² Department of Medical Genetics, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien, Taiwan.
³ Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Medical Education and Pediatrics, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien, Taiwan.
⁵ School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan.

Abstract

Objectives: This study investigated the effects of outpatient rehabilitation therapy (RT) on the functional performance of children from Eastern Taiwan with rare or genetic diseases.

Materials and methods: This retrospective observational cohort study included 73 children from Eastern Taiwan who were affected with rare or genetic diseases, with an average age of 8.57 ± 5.33 years (47 boys and 26 girls). Each child received the goal-directed therapy known as outpatient RT, which was delivered by a multidisciplinary team of specialists. To assess the effectiveness of RT, the WeeFIM-C questionnaire data were collected and analyzed.

Results: After receiving outpatient RT, most of the children only required low-to-moderate assistance with self-care tasks (4.36 ± 2.38), and they could perform mobility-related activities under supervision or independently (5.70 ± 2.29). Moreover, most only required minimal assistance with tasks related to cognitive functioning and tended to complete such tasks under supervision (4.97 ± 2.05). The functional performance was significantly different among three studied groups, in terms of self-care (F_{[2, 68]} = 5.42, P < 0.007), mobility (F_{[2, 68]} = 8.17, P < 0.001), cognitive functioning (F_{[2, 68]} = 3.31, P < 0.042), and overall (F_{[2, 68]} = 6.44, P < 0.003) functional performance.

Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated that the functional status was different among three studied groups in terms of self-care, mobility, and cognitive functioning after receiving outpatient RT.

Keywords: Children with rare or genetic diseases; Rehabilitation therapy; WeeFIM-C.