Effectiveness of training on primary care nurses’ knowledge and screening practice in identification of children at risk for developmental delay: An Indian perspective

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: In India, overall, 1.5–19.8% of the children were found to be developmentally delayed. The evaluation of development in young children and health professionals’ early referrals for diagnostic assessment will accelerate appropriate early intervention as early as possible. Nurses can screen the children and help the parents by providing the necessary information and support. Aim: To train the primary care nurses on developmental screening and early identification of developmental delay (DD) in children and find the effectiveness of the same. Objectives of the study: To evaluate the effectiveness of the training program on the knowledge and screening practice of the nurses towards the identification of children at risk for DD and to find out the relationship between nurses’ knowledge and screening practice. Methods and Materials: A quasi-experimental, one-group pretest, post-test design was adopted among 69 nurses, who were providing child care services and working in the selected government hospitals in Bengaluru, South India. Nurses’ knowledge and screening practice in identifying children at risk for DD were assessed before and after the training. SPSS package 21.00 version was used to analyse the descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The training program was effective in the enhancement of primary care nurses’ knowledge and screening practice in the identification of DDs in under-five children. Conclusion: The findings of this study concluded that developmental screening can be performed by nurses with suitable training programs. The training program played a significant role in the enhancement of nurses’ knowledge and screening practice in the identification of DDs in under-five children.