Evaluating the Implementation of Child Development and Care Program in Isfahan Comprehensive Child Development Center

Abstract

Background: The Comprehensive Child Development Center was established in 2012 in the center of Isfahan province to rapidly identify and intervene in the developmental problems of children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the implementation of this program. Methods: This was a descriptive-analytical study conducted based on the framework for evaluating public health programs established by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of United States of America with regard to evaluation of infrastructure, process and outcome. The infrastructure’s checklist included an area of land, equipment, workforce and equipment completed with presence of researcher at the center. Process and outcome evaluation was performed for 127 registered children during 2019. A satisfaction questionnaire was completed in person or remotely by parents of 144 children referred to the center in 2019 and 2020. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent t-test, and one-way ANOVA was carried out through SPSS 16 software. Results: The overall compliance of infrastructure with standards was 75.42%, with the highest compliance related to the equipment and the lowest related to the specialized workforce. The degree of compliance of the process compared with the standard one varied in different dimensions. 6.30 % of the children were cured and 76.38 % quit treatment. The most common reasons for treatment discontinuation were lack of appointment (29.53 %) and long distance (18.12 %). The overall satisfaction score was 83.90 ± 14.08. The satisfaction of the parents who completed the questionnaire in person was higher than those who completed the questionnaire remotely. Conclusion: The results of this study revealed that the rate of complete cure is low and the rate of treatment discontinuation is high, whose main reasons were the lack of appointment to admit children with developmental disorders and long distance. It is suggested that, in order to solve the problem, the Ministry of Health establish more centers and provide the required workforce.