Guidelines for rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy

In the last few years on the international scene, and recently in Italy too, more and more attention has been paid to direct clinical practice to higher quality and more appropriate accessibility of health services. To achieve this, it has become necessary to stimulate the use of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures based on scientific evidence. The 1998-2000 Italian National Health Programme and the subsequent Law 229-99 have suggested adopting guidelines to better match these needs. Through them, it would become possible to reach the main aim which is to insure the highest appropriateness of intervention, reducing to a minimum the variability of medical choices in assistance strategies caused by subjective interpretation and lack of knowledge. Another reason for today's interest in guidelines is linked to 2 other processes that are currently taking place in the Italian Health System: firstly institutional certification and secondly the continuous education of medical staff. The creation, use, knowledge and participation in the verifying procedures of guidelines are integral parts of both these 2 processes, which today every single medical operator must be involved in.