Use of a Developmental Milestone Chart (DMC) in Rural Bangladesh to Educate Health Workers and Stimulate Referral for Early Diagnosis and Intervention

Tasneem Karim; Alfred Scherzer; Mohammad Muhit; Nadia Badawi; Gulam Khandaker

doi:10.1093/tropej/fmy073

Use of a Developmental Milestone Chart (DMC) in Rural Bangladesh to Educate Health Workers and Stimulate Referral for Early Diagnosis and Intervention

J Trop Pediatr. 2019 Oct 1;65(5):505-509. doi: 10.1093/tropej/fmy073.

Authors

Tasneem Karim^{1

2

3}, Alfred Scherzer⁴, Mohammad Muhit^{2

3}, Nadia Badawi^{1

5}, Gulam Khandaker^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Discipline of Child and Adolescent Health, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
² Asian Institute of Disability and Development (AIDD), University of South Asia, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
³ CSF Global, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
⁴ Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, USA.
⁵ Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

PMID: 30590812
DOI: 10.1093/tropej/fmy073

Abstract

We aimed to determine the feasibility of using a simplified Developmental Milestone Chart (DMC) for assessment of neurodevelopmental status of children of age ≥1 month and ≤8 years. Participants were assessed by medical practitioners using DMC as part of regular health checkups in three sub-districts in Bangladesh between January and May 2017. Total 256 children were recruited (41.0% girls, mean age 1.3 ± 1.6 years). Total 107 children (41.8%) failed at least one and 3 (1.2%) failed all four developmental milestones. Majority missed motor milestones (75.6%, n = 81). Four medical practitioners trained on the use of DMC deemed it to be an appropriate tool for developmental screening as part of regular health checkups/care in terms of acceptability, practicality and implementation. In countries with limited facilities, a simplified instrument such as the DMC can be administered by medical practitioners in rural settings. However, further studies are required to establish the validity of DMC before it could be adopted into routine clinical practices.

Keywords: Bangladesh; developmental milestones; developmental screening; early diagnosis; low- and middle-income country (LMIC).

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Attitude of Health Personnel
Bangladesh
Child
Child Development
Child, Preschool
Developing Countries
Developmental Disabilities / diagnosis*
Early Diagnosis
Feasibility Studies
Female
Health Personnel / education*
Humans
Infant
Male
Mass Screening
Neurodevelopmental Disorders / diagnosis
Reference Values
Rural Population