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Below are articles that support specific interventions to advance MCH National Performance Measures (NPMs) and Standardized Measures (SMs). Most interventions contain multiple components as part of a coordinated strategy/approach.

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Displaying records 1 through 20 (20 total).

Barry S, Paul K, Aakre K, Drake-Buhr S, Willis R. Final Report: Developmental and Autism Screening in Primary Care. Burlington, VT: Vermont Child Health Improvement Program; 2012.

Evidence Rating: Emerging Evidence

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): PROVIDER/PRACTICE, Provider Training/Education, Educational Material (Provider), Participation Incentives, Quality Improvement/Practice-Wide Intervention, Expert Support (Provider), Modified Billing Practices, Data Collection Training for Staff, Screening Tool Implementation Training, Office Systems Assessments and Implementation Training, Expert Feedback Using the Plan-Do-Study-Act-Tool, Collaboration with Local Agencies (State), Collaboration with Local Agencies (Health Care Provider/Practice), Engagement with Payers, STATE, POPULATION-BASED SYSTEMS, Audit/Attestation, HEALTH_CARE_PROVIDER_PRACTICE, Audit/Attestation (Provider)

Intervention Description: The Vermont Child Health Improvement Program (VCHIP) at the University of Vermont collaborated with state agencies and professional societies to conduct a survey of Vermont pediatric and family medicine practices regarding their developmental screening and autism screening processes, referral patterns, and barriers. The survey was administered in 2009 to 103 primary care practices, with a 65% response rate (89% for pediatric practices, 53% for family medicine practices).

Intervention Results: The survey results revealed that while 88% of practices have a specific approach to developmental surveillance and 87% perform developmental screening, only 1 in 4 use structured tools with good psychometric properties. Autism screening was performed by 59% of practices, with most using the M-CHAT or CHAT tool and screening most commonly at the 18-month visit. When concerns were identified, 72% referred to a developmental pediatrician and over 50% to early intervention. Key barriers to both developmental and autism screening were lack of time, staff, and training. Over 80% of practices used a note in the patient chart to track at-risk children, and most commonly referred to child development clinics, audiology, early intervention, and pediatric specialists.

Conclusion: The survey conducted by VCHIP revealed wide variation in developmental and autism screening practices among Vermont pediatric and family medicine practices. While most practices conduct some form of screening, there is room for improvement in the use of validated tools, adherence to recommended screening ages, and implementation of office systems for tracking at-risk children. The survey identified knowledge gaps and barriers that can be addressed through quality improvement initiatives, which most respondents expressed interest in participating in.

Study Design: QE: pretest-posttest

Setting: Pediatric and family medicine practices in Vermont

Population of Focus: Children up to age 3

Data Source: Child medical record; ProPHDS Survey

Sample Size: Chart audits at 37 baseline and 35 follow-up sites (n=30 per site) Baseline charts (n=1381) - Children 19-23 months (n=697) - Children 31-35 months (n=684) Follow-up charts (n=1301) - Children 19-23 months (n=646) - Children 31-35 months (n=655)

Age Range: Not specified

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Bell R, Glinianaia SV, van der Waal Z, Close A, Moloney E, Jones S et al. Evaluation of a complex healthcare intervention to increase smoking cessation in pregnant women: Interrupted time series analysis with economic evaluation. Tobacco Control: An International Journal 2018;27:90-8.

Evidence Rating: Moderate Evidence

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): PROVIDER/PRACTICE, Quality Improvement/Practice-Wide Intervention, Provider Training/Education, Assessment (Provider)

Intervention Description: To evaluate the effectiveness of a complex intervention to improve referral and treatment of pregnant smokers in routine practice, and to assess the incremental costs to the National Health Service (NHS) per additional woman quitting smoking.

Intervention Results: After introduction of the intervention, the referral rate increased more than twofold (incidence rate ratio=2.47, 95% CI 2.16 to 2.81) and the probability of quitting by delivery increased (adjusted OR=1.81, 95% CI 1.54 to 2.12). The additional cost per delivery was £31 and the incremental cost per additional quit was £952; 31 pregnant women needed to be treated for each additional quitter.

Conclusion: The implementation of a system-wide complex healthcare intervention was associated with significant increase in rates of quitting by delivery.

Study Design: Quasi experimental Crosssectional and Cost-benefit analysis

Setting: National Health Service(NHS) antenatal clinics

Population of Focus: Health records of singleton births to mothers who smoked and did not smoke

Data Source: Electronic health records

Sample Size: 37726

Age Range: Not specified

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Boone KM, Nelin MA, Chisolm DJ, Keim SA. Gaps and Factors Related to Receipt of Care within a Medical Home for Toddlers Born Preterm. J Pediatr. 2019 Apr;207:161-168.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2018.10.065. Epub 2018 Dec 19. Erratum in: J Pediatr. 2019 Dec;215:289. PMID: 30579584; PMCID: PMC6440840.

Evidence Rating: Emerging

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): Assessment (Provider), Access, Care Coordination, Targeting Interventions to Focused Groups

Intervention Description: N/A

Intervention Results: Fifty-three percent (n = 107) of the children received care within a medical home. Low socioeconomic status (young caregiver: risk ratio [RR] = 0.73; 95% CI 0.55, 0.97; low education: RR= 0.69; 95% CI 0.49, 0.98) and delayed language (RR = 0.63; 95% CI 0.42, 0.95) were associated with a lower likelihood of receiving care within a medical home. Degree of prematurity and neonatal clinic follow-up participation were unrelated to receipt of care within a medical home.

Conclusion: Receipt of care within a medical home was lacking for nearly one-half of preterm toddlers, especially those with lower socioeconomic status and poorer developmental status. Discharge from a neonatal intensive care unit may be an optimal time to facilitate access to a primary care medical home and establish continuity of care.

Study Design: Participants were 202 caregivers of children born at <35 weeks of gestation. At 10-16 months of corrected age, caregivers completed the National Survey of Children's Health (2011/2012) medical home module and a sociodemographic profile. Care within a medical home comprised having a personal doctor/nurse, a usual place for care, effective care coordination, family-centered care, and getting referrals when needed. Gestational age and neonatal follow-up clinic attendance were abstracted from the medical record. The Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition assessed developmental status. Log-binomial regression examined factors related to receiving care within a medical home.

Setting: NSCH Survey; United States

Population of Focus: Caregivers of children born pre-term

Sample Size: 202

Age Range: Caregivers vary in age. Babies born before 35 weeks.

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Earls MF, Hay SS. Setting the stage for success: implementation of developmental and behavioral screening and surveillance in primary care practice--the North Carolina Assuring Better Child Health and Development (ABCD) Project. Pediatrics. 2006;118(1):e183-188.

Evidence Rating: Emerging Evidence

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): PROVIDER/PRACTICE, Provider Training/Education, Educational Material (Provider), Expert Support (Provider), Participation Incentives, Modified Billing Practices, Data Collection Training for Staff, Screening Tool Implementation Training, Office Systems Assessments and Implementation Training, Expert Feedback Using the Plan-Do-Study-Act-Tool, Collaboration with Local Agencies (State), Collaboration with Local Agencies (Health Care Provider/Practice), Engagement with Payers, STATE, POPULATION-BASED SYSTEMS, Audit/Attestation, HEALTH_CARE_PROVIDER_PRACTICE, Audit/Attestation (Provider)

Intervention Description: Early identification of children with developmental and behavioral delays is important in primary care practice, and well-child visits provide an ideal opportunity to engage parents and perform periodic screening. Integration of this activity into office process and flow is necessary for making screening a routine and consistent part of primary care practice.

Intervention Results: In the North Carolina Assuring Better Child Health and Development Project, careful attention to and training for office process has resulted in a significant increase in screening rates to >70% of the designated well-child visits. The data from the project prompted a change in Medicaid policy, and screening is now statewide in primary practices that perform Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment examinations.

Conclusion: Although there are features of the project that are unique to North Carolina, there are also elements that are transferable to any practice or state interested in integrating child development services into the medical home.

Study Design: QE: pretest-posttest

Setting: Partnership for Health Management, a network within Community Care of North Carolina

Population of Focus: Children ages 6 to 60 months receiving Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment services

Data Source: Child medical record

Sample Size: Unknown number of charts – screening rates tracked in 2 counties (>20,000 screens by 2004)

Age Range: Not specified

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Farmer, J. E., Falk, L. W., Clark, M. J., Mayfield, W. A., & Green, K. K. (2022). Developmental Monitoring and Referral for Low-Income Children Served by WIC: Program Development and Implementation Outcomes. Maternal and child health journal, 26(2), 230–241. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-021-03319-9

Evidence Rating: Emerging

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): Assessment, Referrals, YOUTH, PATIENT_CONSUMER, Educational Material (Provider), HEALTH_CARE_PROVIDER_PRACTICE

Intervention Description: To develop, implement, and assess implementation outcomes for a developmental monitoring and referral program for children in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

Intervention Results: In both phases, all surveyed staff (n = 46) agreed the program was easy to use. Most (≥ 80%) agreed that checklists fit easily into clinic workflow and required ≤ 5 min to complete. Staff (≥ 55%) indicated using checklists with ≥ 75% of their clients. 92% or more reported referring one or more children with potential developmental concerns. According to 80% of staff, parents indicated checklists helped them learn about development and planned to share them with healthcare providers. During the second phase, 18 of 20 staff surveyed indicated the program helped them learn when to refer children and how to support parents, and 19 felt the program promoted healthy development. Focus groups supported survey findings, and all clinics planned to sustain the program.

Conclusion: Initial implementation outcomes supported this approach to developmental monitoring and referral in WIC. The program has potential to help low-income parents identify possible concerns and access support.

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Fendrich, M., et al. (2019). Impact of Mobile Crisis Services on Emergency Department Use Among Youths With Behavioral Health. Psychiatric Services, 70(10), 887.

Evidence Rating: Emerging

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): Assessment (patient/consumer), Assessment (Provider), Education on Disease/Condition,

Intervention Description: The study evaluated the impact of a community-based mobile crisis service intervention in Connecticut, which provides crisis stabilization and support, screening and assessment, suicide assessment and prevention, brief, solution-focused interventions, and referral and linkage to ongoing care.

Intervention Results: Youths who received mobile crisis services had a significant reduction in odds of a subsequent behavioral health ED visit compared with those who did not receive mobile crisis services.

Conclusion: The study provides evidence suggesting that community-based mobile crisis services, such as Mobile Crisis, reduce ED use among youths with behavioral health service needs.

Study Design: Quasi-experimental study

Setting: Connecticut, United States

Population of Focus: Healthcare providers, policymakers, and researchers interested in improving behavioral health services for youths.

Sample Size: Not specified

Age Range: Youths who were age 18 and younger, as well as older youths who were still attending high school.

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Flower, K. B., Massie, S., Janies, K., Bassewitz, J. B., Coker, T. R., Gillespie, R. J., ... & Earls, M. F. (2020). Increasing early childhood screening in primary care through a quality improvement collaborative. Pediatrics, 146(3).

Evidence Rating: Moderate

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): Quality Improvement/Practice-Wide Intervention, Office Systems Assessments And Implementation Training, HEALTH_CARE_PROVIDER_PRACTICE, Audit/Attestation (Provider), Data Collection Training for Staff , Provider Training/Education

Intervention Description: This 1-year national quality improvement collaborative involved 19 pediatric primary care practices. Supported by virtual and in-person learning opportunities, practice teams implemented changes to early childhood screening. Monthly chart reviews were used to assess screening, discussion, referral, and follow-up for development, ASD, maternal depression, and SDoH. Parent surveys were used to assess parent-reported screening and referral and/or resource provision. Practice self-ratings and team surveys were used to assess practice-level changes.

Intervention Results: Participating practices included independent, academic, hospital-affiliated, and multispecialty group practices and community health centers in 12 states. The collaborative met development and ASD screening goals of >90%. Largest increases in screening occurred for maternal depression (27% to 87%; +222%; P < .001) and SDoH (26% to 76%; +231%; P < .001). Statistically significant increases in discussion of results occurred for all screening areas. For referral, significant increases were seen for development (53% to 86%; P < .001) and maternal depression (23% to 100%; P = .008). Parents also reported increased screening and referral and/or resource provision. Practice-level changes included improved systems to support screening.

Conclusion: Practices successfully implemented multiple screenings and demonstrated improvement in subsequent discussion, referral, and follow-up steps. Continued advocacy for adequate resources to support referral and follow-up is needed to translate increased screening into improved health outcomes.

Setting: Pediatric primary care practices

Population of Focus: Physician leader, staff and parent partner

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Gelfer P, Cameron R, Masters K, Kennedy KA. Integrating "Back to Sleep" recommendations into neonatal ICU practice. Pediatrics. 2013;131(4):e1264-1270.

Evidence Rating: Emerging Evidence

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): PROVIDER/PRACTICE, Provider Training/Education, Provision of Safe Sleep Item, Assessment (Provider), HOSPITAL, Quality Improvement, Policy/Guideline (Hospital), Crib Card, CAREGIVER, Education/Training (caregiver), Assessment (caregiver), Educational Material (caregiver)

Intervention Description: The aims of this project were to increase the percentage of infants following safe sleep practices in the NICU before discharge and to determine if improving compliance with these practices would influence parent behavior at home.

Intervention Results: Audit data showed that there was a significant increase in the rate of supine positioning from 39% at baseline to 83% at follow-up (p<0.001). Parental surveys showed that there was a significant increase in the rate of supine position from 73% at baseline to 93% at follow-up (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Multifactorial interventions improved compliance with safe sleep practices in the NICU and at home.

Study Design: QE: pretest-posttest

Setting: Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital NICU in Houston, TX

Population of Focus: Infants in open cribs eligible for safe sleep practices; Parents of infants after discharge

Data Source: Crib audit/infant observation; Parent report

Sample Size: Baseline (n=62) Follow-up (n=79); Baseline (n=66) Follow-up (n=98)

Age Range: Not specified

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Gray C, Fox K,Williamson ME. Improving Health Outcomes for Children (IHOC): First STEPS II Initiative: Improving Developmental, Autism, and Lead Screening for Children: Final Evaluation. Portland, ME: University of Southern Maine Muskie School of Public Service; 2013.

Evidence Rating: Emerging Evidence

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): PROVIDER/PRACTICE, Provider Training/Education, Expert Support (Provider), Modified Billing Practices, Screening Tool Implementation Training, Office Systems Assessments and Implementation Training, Expert Feedback Using the Plan-Do-Study-Act-Tool, Engagement with Payers, STATE, POPULATION-BASED SYSTEMS, Collaboration with Local Agencies (State), Collaboration with Local Agencies (Health Care Provider/Practice), HEALTH_CARE_PROVIDER_PRACTICE, Audit/Attestation (Provider)

Intervention Description: This report evaluates the impact of Phase II of Maine's First STEPS initiative

Intervention Results: Average percentage of documented use of a developmental screening tool increased substantially from baseline to followup for all three age groups (46% to 97% for children under one; 22% to 71% for children 18-23 months; and 22% to 58% for children 24-35 months). Rate of developmental screening based on MaineCare claims increased from the year prior to intervention implementation to the year after implementation for all three age groups (5.3% to 17.1% for children age one; 1.5% to 13.3% for children age two; and 1.2% to 3.3% for children age 3).

Conclusion: The authors summarize lessons learned in implementing changes in practices and challenges in using CHIPRA and IHOC developmental, autism, and lead screening measures at the practice-level to inform quality improvement.

Study Design: QE: pretest-posttest

Setting: Pediatric and family practices serving children with MaineCoverage

Population of Focus: Children ages 6 to 35 months

Data Source: Child medical record; MaineCare paid claims

Sample Size: Unknown number of chart reviews from 9 practice sites completing follow-up

Age Range: Not specified

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Knowles, M., Khan, S., Palakshappa, D., Cahill, R., Kruger, E., Poserina, B. G., ... & Chilton, M. (2018). Successes, challenges, and considerations for integrating referral into food insecurity screening in pediatric settings. Journal of health care for the poor and underserved, 29(1), 181-191.

Evidence Rating: Moderate

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): Assessment (Provider), Referrals, Food Programs

Intervention Description: This study evaluated the efficacy of screening and referral through process evaluation, key informant interviews, and focus groups with 19 caregivers and 11 clinic staff. Three pediatric clinics implemented a two-question food insecurity screening of 7,284 families with children younger than five years.

Intervention Results: Using grounded theory, transcript themes were coded into facilitators and barriers of screening and referral. Facilitators included trust between caregivers and staff, choice of screening methods, and assistance navigating benefits application. Barriers included complex administration of referral, privacy and stigma concerns, and caregivers' current benefit enrollment or ineligibility.

Conclusion: Results demonstrate importance of integrated screening and referral consent processes, strong communication, and convenient outreach for families.

Study Design: Process evaluation, key informant interviews, and focus groups

Setting: Pediatric clinic

Population of Focus: Familes

Sample Size: 7284

Age Range: n/a

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Lannon CM, Flower K, Duncan P, Moore KS, Stuart J, Bassewitz J. The Bright Futures Training Intervention Project: implementing systems to support preventive and developmental services in practice. Pediatrics. 2008;122(1):e163-171.

Evidence Rating: Emerging Evidence

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): PROVIDER/PRACTICE, Provider Training/Education, Educational Material (Provider), Expert Support (Provider), Quality Improvement/Practice-Wide Intervention, Data Collection Training for Staff, Office Systems Assessments and Implementation Training, Expert Feedback Using the Plan-Do-Study-Act-Tool, POPULATION-BASED SYSTEMS, STATE, Collaboration with Local Agencies (State), Collaboration with Local Agencies (Health Care Provider/Practice), Audit/Attestation, HEALTH_CARE_PROVIDER_PRACTICE, Audit/Attestation (Provider)

Intervention Description: The objectives of this study were to assess the feasibility of implementing a bundle of strategies to facilitate the use of Bright Futures recommendations and to evaluate the effectiveness of a modified learning collaborative in improving preventive and developmental care.

Intervention Results: Office system changes most frequently adopted were use of recall/reminder systems (87%), a checklist to link to community resources (80%), and systematic identification of children with special health care needs (80%). From baseline to follow-up, increases were observed in the use of recall/reminder systems, the proportion of children's charts that had a preventive services prompting system, and the families who were asked about special health care needs. Of 21 possible office system components, the median number used increased from 10 to 15. Comparing scores between baseline and follow-up for each practice site, the change was significant. Teams reported that the implementation of office systems was facilitated by the perception that a component could be applied quickly and/or easily. Barriers to implementation included costs, the time required, and lack of agreement with the recommendations.

Conclusion: This project demonstrated the feasibility of implementing specific strategies for improving preventive and developmental care for young children in a wide variety of practices. It also confirmed the usefulness of a modified learning collaborative in achieving these results. This model may be useful for disseminating office system improvements to other settings that provide care for young children.

Study Design: QE: pretest-posttest

Setting: Primary care practices (15 at baseline, 8 at follow- up) throughout the US (9 states total), with most in the Midwest

Population of Focus: Children from birth through 21 years of age

Data Source: Child medical record

Sample Size: Unknown number of chart audits from 8 practice sites completing follow-up

Age Range: Not specified

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Margolis PA, McLearn KT, Earls MF, et al. Assisting primary care practices in using office systems to promote early childhood development. Ambul Pediatr. 2008;8(6):383-387.

Evidence Rating: Emerging Evidence

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): PROVIDER/PRACTICE, Provider Training/Education, Expert Support (Provider), Quality Improvement/Practice-Wide Intervention, Data Collection Training for Staff, Office Systems Assessments and Implementation Training

Intervention Description: The aim of this study was to use family-centered measures to estimate the effect of a collaborative quality improvement program designed to help practices implement systems to promote early childhood development services.

Intervention Results: The number of care delivery systems increased from a mean of 12.9 to 19.4 of 27 in collaborative practices and remained the same in comparison practices (P=.0002). The proportion of children with documented developmental and psychosocial screening among intervention practices increased from 78% to 88% (P<.001) and from 22% to 29% (P=.002), respectively. Compared with control practices, there was a trend toward improvement in the proportion of parents who reported receiving at least 3 of 4 areas of care.

Conclusion: The learning collaborative was associated with an increase in the number of practice-based systems and tools designed to elicit and address parents' concerns about their child's behavior and development and a modest improvement in parent-reported measures of the quality of care.

Study Design: QE: pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group

Setting: Pediatric and family primary care practices (17 collaborative education, 18 comparison practices) in Vermont and North Carolina

Population of Focus: Children ages 0-48 months receiving well-child visits

Data Source: Child medical record

Sample Size: Unknown number of chart audits

Age Range: Not specified

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Martino, S., Ondersma, S. J., Forray, A., Olmstead, T. A., Gilstad-Hayden, K., Howell, H. B., Kershaw, T., & Yonkers, K. A. (2018). A randomized controlled trial of screening and brief interventions for substance misuse in reproductive health. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 218(3), 322.e1–322.e12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2017.12.005

Evidence Rating: Moderate

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): Assessment (Provider), Motivational Interviewing/Counseling,

Intervention Description: Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) delivered either electronically or by a clinician.

Intervention Results: The study found that Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) significantly decreased the number of days of primary substance use, including alcohol consumption, among women in reproductive healthcare centers. Pregnant women reported substance use, on average, about 17% fewer days per month than did non-pregnant women.

Conclusion: Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) significantly reduced the number of days of primary substance use among women in reproductive healthcare centers. Both the electronic and clinician-delivered interventions were more effective in reducing substance use compared to enhanced usual care. However, there was no significant difference in treatment utilization between the intervention groups and the enhanced usual care group.

Study Design: Randomized controlled trial

Setting: Two urban academic hospital based clinics

Population of Focus: Nonpreganant and pregnant women who screened positive for substance use

Sample Size: 439 women

Age Range: ≥18

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Minkovitz CS, Hughart N, Strobino D, et al. A practice-based intervention to enhance quality of care in the first 3 years of life: the Healthy Steps for Young Children Program. JAMA. 2003;290(23):3081- 3091.

Evidence Rating: Moderate Evidence

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): PATIENT/CONSUMER, Home Visits, PROVIDER/PRACTICE, Provider Training/Education, Educational Material (Provider), Expert Support (Provider), Screening Tool Implementation Training, Office Systems Assessments and Implementation Training, Data Collection Training for Staff

Intervention Description: To determine the impact of the Healthy Steps for Young Children Program on quality of early childhood health care and parenting practices.

Intervention Results: Percentage of children with developmental assessments was 83.1% for intervention and 41.4% for control group (OR=8.00; 95% CI=6.69, 9.56; P<.001)

Conclusion: Universal, practice-based interventions can enhance quality of care for families of young children and can improve selected parenting practices.

Study Design: RCT and QE: nonequivalent control group

Setting: Pediatric practices in 14 states (6 randomization sites: San Diego, CA; Iowa City, IA; Allentown, PA; Pittsburgh, PA; Florence, SC; Amarillo, TX. 9 QE sites: Birmingham, AL/Chapel Hill, NC; Grand Junction, CO/Montrose, CO; Chicago, IL; Kansas City, KS; Boston, MA; Detroit, MI; Kansas City, MO; New York, NY; Houston, TX/Richmond, TX)

Population of Focus: Children ages 0-36 months

Data Source: Child medical record

Sample Size: Randomization Sites: - Intervention (n=832) - Control (n=761) - Total (n=1593) Quasi-Experimental Sites: - Intervention (n=1189) - Control (n=955) - Total (n=2144) Total: - All families (n=3737) - Intervention: (n=2021) - Control (n=1716)

Age Range: Not specified

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Rydz D. Topical review: developmental screening. J Child Neurol. 2005;20(1):4-21.

Evidence Rating: Emerging Evidence

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): Assessment, Educational Material (Provider), Screening Tool Implementation Training

Intervention Description: Prevention programs serve those at high risk by removing external risk factors, providing enriching environments, training parents on responsiveness and positive redirection to build skills for optimal development. Remediation programs are for children diagnosed with developmental disturbances, attempting to maximize competence and minimize delays. Compensation services target established disorders like cerebral palsy or Down syndrome, aiming to maximize overall functioning through aids and behavioral techniques. This article states that intervention programs tend to have a positive moderate effect on developmental attainment, with structured, intense programs providing family support being more effective. Earlier intervention in infancy may lead to better outcomes, though evidence is unclear. Appropriate early intervention services can help optimize development for delayed children.

Intervention Results: The resource presents several key results related to intervention programs for children with developmental delays. It states that intervention programs have been shown to have a positive moderate effect on eventual developmental attainment, improving intellectual, academic achievement, and scores on developmental outcomes measures. Prevention services specifically have been found to have significant lasting effects into adulthood, with children who participated being less likely to fail grades, be assigned to special programs, have higher achievement scores, be more likely to graduate high school and seek higher education, and have higher earning wages as adults. The Ypsilanti Perry Preschool Project calculated savings to society of $100,000 per child who participated. For biologically at-risk populations, intervention facilitated short-term gains in growth, development, and improved parenting skills.

Conclusion: This resource concludes that while more methodologically sound longitudinal studies are needed, the available evidence suggests that early intervention programs can benefit children with or at risk of developmental delays. It proposes that for intervention to be effective, programs should be structured, intense, involve family support services, and begin as early as possible in a child's life. The passage endorses developmental screening as a crucial step to identify delayed children early so they can receive appropriate intervention services to maximize their developmental potential.

Study Design: N/A

Setting: N/A

Data Source: N/A

Sample Size: N/A

Age Range: N/A

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Salada, K. O., Arzu, J., Unti, S. M., Tanz, R. R., & Badke, C. M. (2022). Practicing What We Preach: An Effort to Improve Safe Sleep of Hospitalized Infants. Pediatric quality & safety, 7(3), e561. https://doi.org/10.1097/pq9.0000000000000561

Evidence Rating: Emerging

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): HEALTH_CARE_PROVIDER_PRACTICE, Assessment (Provider), Provider Training/Education, PROFESSIONAL_CAREGIVER, Education/Training (caregiver), Crib Card, HOSPITAL, Quality Improvement, Policy/Guideline (Hospital)

Intervention Description: This was a pre/post quality improvement study conducted at a single quaternary care medical center from 2015 to 2019. Infants <12 months were observed in their sleeping environment pre- and post-implementation of multiple hospital-wide interventions to improve the sleep safety of hospitalized infants. Following baseline data collection, a multidisciplinary team reviewed the hospital’s infant sleep practices and developed and implemented a care bundle that included the following: A new safe sleep hospital policy; online-learning modules for all hospital staff who interact with infants; educational updates to physicians; an educational handout for volunteers; infant safe sleep education in the nursing admission and/or discharge education for infants; infant safe sleep education in the electronic health record; and various forms of education for families/caregivers in English and Spanish. The primary outcome measure was adherence to the ABCs of safe sleep (Alone in the sleep environment, on their Back on a firm sleep surface, and in an empty Crib).

Intervention Results: Only 1.3% of 221 infants observed preintervention met all ABCs of safe sleep; 10.6% of 237 infants met the ABCs of safe sleep postintervention. Significant improvements in the post-intervention cohort included sleeping in a crib (94% versus 80% preintervention; P < 0.001), avoidance of co-sleeping (3% versus 15% preintervention; P < 0.001), absence of supplies in the crib (58% versus 15% preintervention; P < 0.001), and presence of an empty crib (13% versus 2% preintervention; P < 0.001).

Conclusion: Most infants hospitalized at our institution do not sleep in a safe environment. However, the implementation of a care bundle led to improvements in the sleep environment in the hospital. Further research is necessary to continue improving in-hospital safe sleep and to assess whether these practices impact the home sleep environment.

Setting: A single quaternary care medical center

Population of Focus: Hospital healthcare providers

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Stjerneklar, S., Hougaard, E., McLellan, L. F., & Thastum, M. (2019). A randomized controlled trial examining the efficacy of an internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy program for adolescents with anxiety disorders. PloS one, 14(9), e0222485. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222485

Evidence Rating: Emerging

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): Technology-Based Support, Assessment (patient/consumer), Expert Support (Provider),

Intervention Description: ChilledOut Online is a treatment program based on the Cool Kids and Chilled anxiety management program developed at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia [52]. The program teaches CBT strategies for adolescents through eight online modules of approximately 30 minutes, with a focus on psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring and graded exposure. To allow for flexibility and personal learning preferences, adolescents were able to access all modules at treatment start. To guide progress through the program, adolescents were however encouraged to complete all eight modules (and module content) in the order they appeared within the 14-week intervention period, after which they would have access to the web site for another three months. Program content such as goal setting, realistic thinking, problem solving, and assertiveness, is presented through a combination of multimedia formats, i.e. text, audio, illustrations, cartoons, worksheets, and video vignettes.

Intervention Results: Lending support to our main hypothesis, participants receiving ICBT demonstrated significant improvements at post-treatment compared to participants in the WL condition across all raters on diagnostic severity and level of anxiety symptoms (CSR and SCAS). The between-group ES’s found for CSRprim and CSRall in the present study (d = 0.65 and d = 0.83, respectively) are in the lower end of those found in other similar WL controlled studies.

Conclusion: This study demonstrated the Danish version of ChilledOut Online to be efficacious and feasible in relieving symptoms of anxiety in adolescents. As such, the study supports previous findings of similar guided ICBT interventions and helps build a strong foundation for future research in and implementation of ICBT in mental health services for adolescents with anxiety disorders.

Study Design: Randomized controlled trial

Setting: Online

Population of Focus: Adolescents with anxiety disorders

Sample Size: 70

Age Range: 13-17 years old

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Tucker, M. H., Toburen, C., Koons, T., Petrini, C., Palmer, R., Pallotto, E. K., & Simpson, E. (2022). Improving safe sleep practices in an urban inpatient newborn nursery and neonatal intensive care unit. Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association, 42(4), 515–521. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-021-01288-z

Evidence Rating: Moderate

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): HEALTH_CARE_PROVIDER_PRACTICE, Assessment (provider), Provider Training/Education, Nurse/Nurse Practitioner, PARENT/FAMILY, Education/Training (caregiver), Provision of Safe Sleep Item, HOSPITAL, Quality Improvement

Intervention Description: The purpose of our safe sleep initiative was to improve parental and staff knowledge of safe sleep practices and to achieve increased compliance with infant safe sleep in the hospital setting. A multidisciplinary team of health professionals was created to address poor compliance with safe sleep guidelines, investigate barriers, and identify primary drivers for improvement. Subsequent interventions included parent education, staff education, and improvements in system processes. Members of the hospitals nurse residency program conducted multidisciplinary surveys before and after the quality improvement initiative to assess staff knowledge of safe sleep practices. The data were collected prospectively.

Intervention Results: Compliance with safe sleep improved to >80% in both units. Tracking of process measures revealed NICU parents received safe sleep education 98-100% of the time. No change was observed in the balancing measures. Transfers from the NN to the NICU for temperature instability did not increase. Parent satisfaction with discharge preparedness did not change (98.2% prior to and 99.6% after).

Conclusion: We achieved improved compliance with safe sleep practices in our NN and NICU through education of staff and parents and improved system processes. We believe this will translate to improved safe sleep practices used by parents at home.

Setting: Truman Medical Center in Kansas City

Population of Focus: Infants admitted to newborn nursery and NICU

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Voos KC, Terreros A, Larimore P, Leick-Rude MK, Park N. Implementing safe sleep practices in a neonatal intensive care unit. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2015;28(14):1637-1640.

Evidence Rating: Emerging Evidence

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): PROVIDER/PRACTICE, Provider Training/Education, Assessment (Provider), HOSPITAL, Quality Improvement, Policy/Guideline (Hospital), CAREGIVER, Education/Training (caregiver), Educational Material (caregiver), Sleep Environment Modification

Intervention Description: The dual aims of this project were to develop a safe sleep educational model for our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and to increase the percentage of eligible infants in a safe sleep environment.

Intervention Results: At baseline, 21% of eligible infants were in a safe sleep environment. After education and reported observation, safe sleep compliance increased to 88%.

Conclusion: With formal staff and family education, optional wearable blanket, and data sharing, safe sleep compliance increased and patient safety improved.

Study Design: QE: pretest-posttest

Setting: The Children’s Mercy Hospital NICU in MO

Population of Focus: Safe sleep eligible infants (medically stable and transitioned to open cribs)

Data Source: Crib audit/infant observation

Sample Size: Baseline (n=28) Follow-up (n=26)

Age Range: Not specified

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Yonkers, K. A., Dailey, J. I., Gilstad-Hayden, K., Ondersma, S. J., Forray, A., Olmstead, T. A., & Martino, S. (2020). Abstinence outcomes among women in reproductive health centers administered clinician or electronic brief interventions. Journal of substance abuse treatment, 113, 107995. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2020.02.012

Evidence Rating: Moderate

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): Assessment (Provider), Motivational Interviewing/Counseling,

Intervention Description: Electronically delivered screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (e-SBIRT); clinician delivered SBIRT, and enhanced usual care

Intervention Results: Both clinician-delivered SBIRT and electronically-delivered SBIRT produced modest and statistically significant effects in promoting abstinence from substances.

Conclusion: The study concluded that both clinician-delivered SBIRT and electronically-delivered SBIRT interventions were effective in promoting abstinence from substances among women in reproductive health settings. While abstinence from the primary substance was a rare outcome in the sample, both interventions showed modest and statistically significant effects. The ease of implementation and relatively low cost of the e-SBIRT intervention suggest its practicality for implementing brief interventions at scale for at-risk women. Further optimization efforts and large-scale implementations could be facilitated by the ease with which electronic interventions can be modified and disseminated.

Study Design: 3-group randomized controlled trial

Setting: Urban academic healthcare settings with a predominantly minority population

Population of Focus: Pregnant and nonpregnant women seeking reproductive health services who may be abusing substances

Sample Size: 439 women

Age Range: Mean age of 34.2 years

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The MCH Digital Library is one of six special collections at Geogetown University, the nation's oldest Jesuit institution of higher education. It is supported in part by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under award number U02MC31613, MCH Advanced Education Policy with an award of $700,000/year. The library is also supported through foundation and univerity funding. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.