OBJECTIVES: to characterize organizational access to motor rehabilitation services for children with cerebral paralysis. METHODS: a descriptive, retrospective, censusbased study, carried out between January and June 2009, at three rehabilitation services in Recife. The study covered 38 children aged less than five years, with the disorder, residing in Recife. A questionnaire was used to obtain information from the individual accompanying the child and the child's medical records. The variables were organized according to current service, first service used, and number of services used. RESULTS: of the people accompanying the children, 94.7% were one of the child's parents or legal guardian (76.3% mother) and 68.4% of the children were aged between 25 and 59 months. Half had attended more than one service, in 28.2% of cases simultaneously. For 28.2% rehabilitation was commenced more than six months after diagnosis. The children were mostly referred to the service by a doctor (75.8%) and 86.4% had a maximum waiting time of 30 days for the first consultation with a physiotherapist. The parents or legal guardians generally found it difficult to schedule the first consult (68.4%). Greater difficulty in continuing physiotherapy was found among those who used more than one service. CONCLUSIONS: there appears to be a hidden demand. Use of more than one service (at times simultaneously) suggests dissatisfaction with the level of care. Political and organizational processes relating to the referral/counter-referral system should be accorded high priority.
Cerebral palsy; Rehabilitation; Health services accessibility; Child health (Public health)
