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Pediatricians' reported practices regarding developmental screening: do guidelines work? Do they help?
Nina Sand1, Michael Silverstein, Frances P Glascoe
1Neurodevelopmental Center, Akron Children's Hospital, Akron, Ohio, USA.
Insights
Despite policy, most pediatricians do not use standardized developmental screening tools for children. Current practices show uncertain benefits for identifying developmental delays.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended developmental screening for all young children in 2001.
- The policy emphasized using valid and reliable screening instruments.
- The extent of pediatrician adherence and its impact on identifying developmental difficulties remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the utilization of developmental screening tests by general pediatricians.
- To determine if standardized screening correlates with improved identification of developmental difficulties.
Main Methods:
- A survey was distributed to a random sample of American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) members.
- Multivariate logistic and linear regression analyses were employed.
- The study focused on board-certified pediatricians in general practice.
Main Results:
- A 55% response rate was achieved from 1617 mailed surveys.
- Only 23% of responding pediatricians reported using standardized screening instruments; 71% relied on clinical assessment alone.
- While standardized screening showed a trend towards higher identification rates (OR 1.71-1.90), this was not statistically significant in all models.
Conclusions:
- Few pediatricians currently employ effective standardized methods for developmental screening, despite AAP guidelines.
- The association between current standardized screening practices and increased identification of developmental disabilities is uncertain.
Background:
In 2001, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) adopted a policy that all infants and young children should be screened for developmental delays at regular intervals. The policy statement promoted the use of valid reliable instruments. It is unknown, however, what proportion of pediatricians follow this recommendation and whether such a practice is associated with improved identification of children with developmental difficulties.
Objectives:
To describe the use of developmental screening tests among board-certified pediatricians practicing general pediatrics and to determine the association between standardized screening and the self-reported identification of children with developmental difficulties.
Methods:
We mailed a survey to a random sample of AAP members. We used multivariate logistic/linearregression analyses to determine the association between standardized screening and the self-reported identification of children with developmental disabilities.
Results:
Of the 1617 surveys mailed, 894 were returned, for a response rate of 55%. Of the respondents, 646 practiced general pediatrics and were included in the analysis. Seventy-one percent of those pediatricians indicated that they almost always used clinical assessment without an accompanying screening instrument to identify children with developmental delays. Only 23% indicated that they used a standardized screening instrument. The most commonly used instrument was the Denver II. Logistic regression modeling demonstrated odds ratios between 1.71 and 1.90 for a >10% rate of identification of developmental problems among patients of pediatricians reporting standardized screening. Each adjusted odds ratio bordered on statistical significance. Linear-regression models estimating the difference in mean proportions of children identified with developmental problems across screening groups failed to show a statistically or clinically significant difference in physician-reported identification rates.
Conclusions:
Our findings indicate that, despite the AAP policy and national efforts to improve developmental screening in the primary care setting, few pediatricians use effective means to screen their patients for developmental problems. It is uncertain whether standardized screening, as it is practiced currently, is associated with an increase in the self-reported identification of children with developmental disabilities.
