title: Feasibility and effect of home-based therapy programmes for children with cerebral palsy: a protocol for a systematic review.
abstract: Given the promising advantages of upper extremity home-based programmes in children with cerebral palsy (CP), a systematic review of the available literature on this topic is warranted. The purpose of the systematic review described in this protocol is to investigate currently available home-based occupational therapy and physiotherapy programmes regarding both their feasibility and effect.
  
  
  
  This protocol describes a systematic review, developed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015. Studies will be included in which primary data are collected, participants are children aged <18 years with any type of CP and the intervention of interest is a home-based occupational therapy or physiotherapy intervention. Comparators of interest are: no therapy, care as usual, centre-based occupational therapy or physiotherapy, an alternative home-based programme and a medical intervention. Studies will be included that report either on feasibility (ie, acceptability, demand, implementation, practicality, adaptation, expansion or integration) or on efficacy/effectiveness (ie, child-related upper extremity outcomes within all International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health levels or parent-related/caregiver-related outcomes on the psychological and social domain). Relevant studies will be identified by searching the databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, PEDro, OTSeeker and CPCI-S as well as the trial registers ICTRP and CENTRAL, the reference lists of included records and by circulating a bibliography of the included records to authors of included studies. There will be no restrictions on language or year of publication. The search strategy consists of terms related to the population and intervention. Data will be extracted in duplicate using a digital data extraction form.
  
  
  
  The proposed study does not involve collection of primary data. Accordingly, no ethical approval is required. The authors will disseminate the findings of this systematic review through publication in a peer-reviewed journal and conference presentation(s).
  
  
  
  CRD42016043743; pre-results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, School for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.|Adelante, Center of Expertise in Rehabilitation and Audiology, Hoensbroek, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: L W M E
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Beckers
authors.affiliation: Radboud University Nijmegen, Behavioural Science Institute, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.|Department of Rehabilitation, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M L A P
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Schnackers
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, School for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.|Adelante, Center of Expertise in Rehabilitation and Audiology, Hoensbroek, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Y J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Janssen-Potten
authors.affiliation: School for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.|Kleijnen Systematic Reviews Ltd, York, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kleijnen
authors.affiliation: Radboud University Nijmegen, Behavioural Science Institute, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.|Australian Catholic University, School of Psychology, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Steenbergen
mesh_terms: D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D002648:Child; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D009788:Occupational Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D012107:Research Design; D000078202:Systematic Reviews as Topic; D034941:Upper Extremity; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic
keywords: Cerebral Palsy; Child; Exercise Therapy; Home Care Services; Systematic Reviews; Upper Extremity