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Spinelli-Drenth, Rosemarie

Nursing

2006

MS

The purpose of this study was to identify the percentage of children in the 4-6 year-old age group that would purportedly be at an increased risk of developing a psychosocial disorder in a pediatric rural primary care setting using the Pediatric Symptom Checklist. The use of a screening tool is a valuable asset as it facilitates effective use of professional time by alerting and guiding the provider in identifying which patients to pursue psychological questioning on (Borowsky ... et al., 2003). Though there is enthusiasm among pediatric primary care providers about early intervention, most use either checklists or clinical observation, both of which have an unknown sensitivity and specificity (Glascoe & Macias, 2003). It has been found in the past that parental report alone was not a reliable source as a screening tool. This form of report has been found, however, to be useful in determining prediction of developmental delay (Macias & Glascoe, 2003). The use of the parental report tool frees the provider to spend time focusing on issues that stand out as areas of potential concern rather than attempting to elicit this information from the child during more in-depth interview and observation of skills. The AAP Committee on the Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health and the authors of Bright Futures 2 recommend that at each health visit practitioners discuss parents' concerns about their children's psychosocial development (Glascoe, n.d.). However, currently fewer than 30% of children with either a developmental or behavioral problem are detected before the child reaches kindergarten "eliminating all hope for early intervention and contributing significantly to school failure and disenfranchisement" (Macias & Glascoe, 2003). This study was intended to identify children in the 4-6 year-old age group at risk of developing a psychosocial disorder through the use of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist filled out by the parent during a routine office visit. The PSC is not in and of itself a diagnostic tool. It is a screening tool to be used in conjunction with a health assessment. The study data was analyzed to determine the proportion of positive scores as designated by the PSC.