Increasing Pediatric Primary Care Provider Knowledge of Evidence-Informed 15- And 30-Month Developmental Milestones

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to present anevidence-based educational presentation to pediatric primary care providers with the intent to improve knowledge of current evidence-informed 15- and 30-month developmental milestones and developmental surveillance practice recommendations, as endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Background: A recent revision to the CDC’s “Learn the Signs. Act Early” (LTSAE) program material established new, evidence-informed developmental milestone checklists for the 15- and 30-month age groups. Current trends in developmental screening identify a need for further provider education about AAP developmental practice recommendations to meet the goal of universal developmental surveillance and screening at the designated intervals. Methods: This DNP project utilized a one group, pretest/posttest design to assess provider knowledge of the new 15- and 30-month developmental milestones and their application to practice before and after an evidence-based educational presentation. Average scores from the pretest and posttest were compared using a paired t-test. Descriptive statistics were used to display participant’s self-reported familiarity and current use of the 15- and 30-month developmental milestones prior to viewing the presentation as well as their self-reported understanding of the project topic and barriers to applying the information to clinical practice following the intervention. Results: Results demonstrated a 46% increase in knowledge of 15- and 30-month developmental milestones after viewing the educational presentation, although this increase was not statistically significant (p=0.058). Participants generally felt neutral towards their self-perceived familiarity of the project topic and reported infrequent use of the milestones in clinical practice prior to the intervention. Following the intervention, participants reported feeling confident in their self-perceived understanding of the project topic. Conclusions: The evidence-based educational presentation increased provider knowledge of the 15- and 30-month developmental milestones and self-perceived understanding of the project topic, even though the results lacked statistical significance. Future research could study the impact of the revised LTSAE material on parental developmental knowledge and engagement during health supervision visits to evaluate for improved developmental screening practices and referral rates to early intervention services.