Spastic paresis and rehabilitation – the patient Journey

Spastic paresis is a complex condition associated with damage to the upper motor neurons, typically caused by cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, stroke or trauma. Despite substantial impact on patients’ independence and burden on caregivers, there is a lack of consensus on optimal management of this condition and the patient journey remains unclear. A group of physicians, experienced in spasticity management, recently convened with the objective of analysing the patient journey from a care pathway perspective in different geographical regions and under different conditions from acute phase to long-term/chronic disease status. The experts reviewed results from recent patient and healthcare practitioner surveys on the subject and assessed how current patient pathways could be improved, using their own experiences to highlight the issues related to management deficiencies in their individual countries. The group divided the patient journey into steps, considering the evidence from the point of view of healthcare practitioners, patients, caregivers and funders/payors. This paper is a response to the lack of consensus on the optimal management of spastic paresis, and acts as a call to action to develop a consistent care pathway that could be applied across a broad range of illnesses, using an interdisciplinary approach.