Instrumentos para avaliação do desenvolvimento neuropsicomotor durante as consultas de enfermagem : uma revisão integrativa

Abstract

Introduction: Neuropsychomotor development is a process of physical, psychological, and socio-emotional changes. Early childhood is the essential period of development that makes children able to face and respond to their needs throughout their lives. Nurses are the main mediators in monitoring children's development because they have the knowledge to assess the child, promote comprehensive monitoring, and conduct health education with parents, caregivers, and society. The use of instruments to assess development is aimed at the rapid and effective detection of possible changes, providing information to identify risk factors and levels of delay. Objective: To analyze the use of instruments to assess neuropsychomotor development during nursing consultations in primary healthcare in Brazil. Methods: This is an integrative literature review, selecting studies published between 2018 and 2023, in English, Portuguese and Spanish. The databases used were LILACS, SciElo, MEDLINE, PUBMED and BDENF. The descriptors used for the search were: "child development", "nursing", "office nursing", "child care", "growth". The guiding question of this review was "What tools are used by primary care nurses to assess neuropsychomotor development?”. Results: all the selected studies were carried out in health units of the Family Health Strategy; majority of the children's assessments focused on the child's growth; the most frequently used tool for the assessment of neuropsychomotor development was the child's report card, based on the developmental milestones contained therein; however, most of these were not observed by the professionals, but only questioned by the parents/guardians; difficulties such as precarious physical structure, work overload and lack of professional training were reported by the nurses. Conclusions: It is necessary to intensify academic activities regarding the monitoring, stimulation and promotion of the child's growth and development, especially during the basic nursing course.