Barlow, Ortolani, and Hippy Dolls: Understanding child health nurses practice when screening for Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip

Abstract

Objective: To identify Child Health Nurses, Registered Midwives, Registered Nurses, or General Practice Nurses' individual practices, understand their practice and any enablers or barriers to their practice when screening for Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH) in infants.

Methods: Online focus groups were held via Zoom. The focus groups were semi-structured and utilised a pre-developed guide to ensure the research aims and objectives were covered. The three focus groups were recorded transcribed, and data from the 11 participants analysed using a structured thematic analysis.

Results: Four themes were found to be important to practice when screening for DDH. Theoretical education and practical training of clinicians were viewed as essential and included consistency of training and ongoing education. Participants highlighted perceptions of practice and confidence in their own and others practice. Understanding screening, diagnosis and treatment was important, as was the role of other health care providers and best practice recommendations. Finally supporting families and the child was seen as an essential role especially during missed diagnoses.

Conclusion: Barriers to confidently screening for DDH are many, with enablers few. Child Health Nurses require ongoing training and education to confidently screen infants for DDH. This training should be evidence based which will require further research into the current education available. To support an evidence-based approach to screening a study of accuracy should be explored.