[Long-Term Development of Competencies and Methods Using the Example of SOPESS as Part of Preschool Health...

Preschool health examination is one of the main tasks of the German public health service. The social-paediatric screening used in this process is SOPESS, the validated tool for assessing the developmental status of preschool children. The results enable tracking of developmental abnormalities across regions and over time, as well as deriving individual and preventive action requirements. In practice, however, the data show relevant method-related heterogeneity across teams and public health services that cannot be explained solely by differences in the study population. This affects the data validity and their optimal use for regional prevention planning and health reporting.The KOMET-SEU project aimed, on the one hand, to assess and illustrate method-related heterogeneity and its causes, and to develp and evaluate an online training program, on the other, to strengthen public health service in its implementation and documentation of SOPESS, to reduce the data's heterogeneity and to support data usage.The project was based on the Public Health Action Cycle and used a logical model as a theoretical basis. To develop and evaluate the online training, quantitative and qualitative methods were combined. The objectives were achieved in four work packages (WP): WP 1 established the statistical basis for assessing and depiction of method-related heterogeneity. WP 2 used surveys done with employees of the public health services to examine the causes of heterogeneity and relevant contextual factors for data collection. In WP 3, that information was used to construct and test an online training program. WP 4 implemented that training in several public health services and evaluated its processes and effects. Detailed results of the WP can be found in this issue of "Das Gesundheitswesen".The mixed-methods approach and participatory intervention development should help strengthen the skills of the employees of public health services in using the SOPESS and expand examinational competences within the teams. Thus, the KOMET-SEU project could make an important contribution to supporting the public health service in the use of SOPESS data. Whether it will be possible to reduce the heterogeneity in the SOPESS data itself must be investigated further. The ground-work has been laid.