Long-term Enhancement of Competencies and Methods regarding SOPESS as Part of the Preschool Health Examination

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Health (funding code ZMI1-2521FSB101)

Duration: 01.04.2021 - 30.03.2024

Background

The preschool health examination (PHE) is one of the key tasks of public health services and serves as an individual medical examination of the developmental status and the school-relevant health situation of a child before school enrolment. Within the context of the PHE, the SOPESS (social-paediatric screening of developmental status for school entry) is used in Germany as a standardized and validated screening instrument for the early detection of school-relevant developmental problems and health risks. In the past, it was shown that the SOPESS data were affected by methodological heterogeneity, which questioned the validity and usefulness of the data. In some cases, data collection, quality, and provision were severely limited, resulting in little or no benefit for health monitoring and prevention. Differences in test application, execution, or documentation were hypothesized as reasons for this methodological heterogeneity.

Objectives

In close cooperation with child and adolescent health services of public health departments across Germany, we want to support and strengthen the public health services in the execution, documentation and appraisal of SOPESS by enhancing their methodological competencies and supporting their quality control. Within a national research network, a bundle of tools was developed to support staffs of public health departments in the quality-assured implementation of the SOPESS and the practical use of the collected data. In order to verify the success of the project, an effect-evaluation will examine, whether the developed bundle of tools leads to a quality-assured implementation and documentation of the SOPESS and consequently to a reduction in the method-related heterogeneity of the data. In addition, reach, acceptance, utilisation, practical relevance, and implementation quality will be assessed by means of a comprehensive process-evaluation. The project is accompanied by an expert advisory board consisting of eight experienced members from public health practice, science, and evaluation.