A resource guide to understanding cerebral palsy: Commentary on collaboration to support health literacy and shared decision making

BACKGROUND: Shared decision-making is a newer model of patient-centered healthcare; it is particularly important for people with chronic conditions including cerebral palsy. Health literacy is the ability of an individual to obtain, communicate, process, and understand health information and is a crucial component to shared decision-making. With the abundance of information that can be found on the internet, it can be difficult to navigate and determine which websites contain reliable information. OBJECTIVE: Provide a commentary article aimed to provide healthcare professionals a current, annotated list of reliable online resources in regards to cerebral palsy throughout the lifespan with the goal of supporting health literacy and therefore improving shared decision-making and reducing disparity. CONCLUSION: Access to accurate and reliable information is an important aspect of health literacy, which in turn will optimize outcomes and build the foundation for shared decision-making between the provider and the patient. Educational materials should be easy to navigate and utilize. This article serves as a guide for reliable CP resources.