Improved screening of infant and young child growth and early detection and intervention of abnormal tendencies are important for promoting healthy child development. On 30 may, the deputy director of the zhejiang health commission, sun leong minh, presented the zhejiang experience, a “four-strength” approach to the development of infants and young children aged 0 to 3 years, and solid child development screening。
One is enhanced early development screening. In conjunction with regular health checks for children aged 0-3 years, district health centres and community health centres conduct focused assessments of the language, growth and mental behaviour of infants and young children of the age of 8, 18 and 30, with development deviations to district-level maternal and child health institutions, using standardized screening tools. Since 2018, a total of 4,452,000 standardized developmental screenings have been completed throughout the province, and the growth screening rate rose from 25. 6 per cent in 2018 to 92. 4 per cent in 2024。
The second is to strengthen prevention and treatment networks. The children's hospital attached to the zhejiang university medical school is the lead, 102 maternal and child health-care institutions are the backbone, 446 general hospitals and 446 children's clinics in central hospitals are the backbone, and 1533 primary health-care institutions are the foundation of a network of closed loops with clear and well-defined screening, diagnosis and treatment levels throughout the province. The primary health-care institutions are primarily responsible for education, initial screening, guidance and follow-up services; district-level maternal and child health-care institutions receive referral at the grass-roots level and complete screening and targeted interventions; and provincial and municipal health-care institutions are responsible for further clarification of diagnosis and intervention treatment。
The third is to strengthen the whole course of normative services. A province-wide uniform screening programme and standards are developed. Development screening and intervention personnel are trained on a yearly basis. Quality control supervision at the municipal and subdistrict levels is also regularly organized, with the main aim of improving the level of homogenization of screening interventions. Individualized language, cognitive and motor development guidance is provided for the screening of suspected abnormal children; further assessment or referral to higher health-care institutions for the screening of abnormal children is clearly diagnosed. (c) develop individualized intervention programmes for the diagnosis of developmental disorders and stunting, register follow-up and case management, and conduct normative interventions to facilitate their return to normal development。
Fourth, strengthening digital empowerment. Establishment of a screening platform for neuropsychological development monitoring of children throughout the province, through which developmental screening, diagnosis, intervention and follow-up are managed as a closed circle. At the same time, an integrated application of digitalized people's services has been developed to provide parents with services such as health education and child growth self-measurement, as well as guidance and management, through the child care unit of the zhejiang government service。
Source: editor, ongwan network: reviser, dong di: editor-in-chief, yang min: lee shangye
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