Community-based team approach to the management of children with cleft palate.
The child born with a cleft palate may have many associated problems in feeding, respiration, dentition, hearing, speech, language, and intellectual development as well as in psycho-social development. If the cleft is associated with a specific craniofacial syndrome, other physical problems may be present such as cardiac, kidney, digital, and visual involvement. The need for an extensive treatment program can extend from birth through adulthood. Important to the successful habilitation of these children is the early involvement of a multitude of specialists working together with the family in a team approach. The primary task of the team is to make decisions concerning timing and sequence of intervention for each individual patient. Several models for the delivery of health care services to the patient with a cleft palate are now in use. A community-based team model will be described in this article as a unique approach to the management of this population and as one that may be implemented in a cost-effective manner in communities where cleft palate teams presently do not exist.
D002648:Child; D002972:Cleft Palate; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006745:Hospital Bed Capacity, 300 to 499; D006801:Humans; D009515:New Jersey; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data