Early identification of infants at risk of cerebral palsy: developing the use of general movement assessment in routine clinical practice in a tertiary neonatal unit in New Zealand.

Background: Preterm infants have a high risk of neurodevelopmental disability, including cerebral palsy (CP). Often, CP is not diagnosed until after 12 months, leading to delay in targeted interventions. The General Movements assessment (GM) evaluates the spontaneous movements of high-risk infants from birth to 20 weeks corrected postnatal age (CPA), and accurately predicts the risk of CP. This allows for earlier diagnosis and intervention, potentially changing the trajectory of disability, yet routine use of GM is not well established in New Zealand.

Aim: To describe the process of setting up GM in a tertiary neonatal unit.

Methods: We reviewed the process and progress made to date setting up GM in our service.

Results: Challenges and potential solutions for the implementation of GM were identified. Key areas of development included staff training and support, IT services, resources, medical documentation, inter-departmental communication and establishing clinical pathways.

Conclusion: GM has become successfully integrated into the assessment of high-risk infants in our neonatal unit, with the aim to provide valuable information to health professionals and families to optimise intervention and improve outcomes. Efforts will continue to ensure there is robust and sustainable system for using GM in our service.