Development of Guidelines for Screening Early Childhood Development through the Participation of Village Health Volunteers in Primary Care Units, Nong Khai Hospitalor screening early childhood development with the participation of village health volunteers Primary care unit Nong Khai Hospital

Abstract

This study is an action research project aimed at examining the effects of developing a screening approach for early childhood development through the participation of village health volunteers (VHVs) at the primary care unit of Nong Khai Hospital. The target group consisted of 68 VHVs. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the paired t-test. 
The study revealed that all 68 VHVs (100%) had never been trained before receiving knowledge about early childhood development assessment and regarding their experience in assessing the development of children aged 0-5 years, 66 VHVs (97.05%) had never conducted such assessments, while only 2 VHVs (2.95%) had prior experience. Similarly, none of the VHVs (100%) had ever used the Developmental Surveillance and Promotion Manual (DSPM). The results showed a statistically significant increase (p < 0.05) in the mean scores of knowledge and practice among VHVs in screening for early childhood development after participating in the activities. The screening approach for early childhood development through the participation of VHVs at the primary care unit of Nong Khai Hospital was divided into five key components: Building knowledge and understanding, Promoting developmental stimulation, Ensuring accessibility and follow-up, Providing consultation, and Setting an appropriate timeline for developmental screening.The development of this screening approach successfully enhanced the knowledge and practices of VHVs in assessing early childhood development.