Therapist & Parent Interviews to Guide the Development of GoMove: A Website for Individuals With Unilateral Cerebral Palsy

PURPOSE: It is unknown if an online tool is wanted by therapists and parents of individuals with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP) to support the implementation of goal-directed home programs, and if wanted, the recommended features for the tool. Aims: To explore the experiences of therapists and parents who have implemented home programs, seek guidance on translating a paper-based home program toolbox into a mobile website, and develop the website. DESIGN: Qualitative descriptive methodology using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, validated with field notes and member checking. Participants were recruited using purposeful sampling. For study inclusion, therapists and parents were required to have experience with implementing home programs and speak English. Materials and METHOD: Participants engaged in semi-structured interviews. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded, and categorized into themes by three independent reviewers for triangulation. The categorical themes were cross-analyzed with field notes. A team-science, iterative approach was used to integrate the themes into the development of the mobile website. RESULTS: Five participants were interviewed from the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Poland. Major themes included (1) shifting from paper to an electronic platform will support home program development, maintenance, and motivation, (2) videos are integral for learning, (3) preference for focusing content on activity and participation, followed by upper limb skills, (4) goals should be a core component, and (5) tracking progress and earning rewards is essential for continued motivation. The GoMove website was developed based on the identified themes. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, these findings indicate that the development of a website to support home programs was supported by clinicians and parents of youth with CP The research team incorporated the study findings to create the GoMove website (gomove.org)