Abstract
Abstract Introduction: The Childcare Program aims at the health promotion, prevention and early diagnosis of diseases and recovery from diseases in childhood through programmed monitoring of the child's growth and development. A physical therapist can contribute to the early identification of neuropsychomotor developmental disorders. Objective: To characterize the motor development (DM) of infants during childcare consultations and to discuss the importance of a professional physical therapist in primary health care teams. Methods: The sample comprised 91 infants aged 0-6 months attended in childcare consultations. Infants with musculoskeletal disorders, neuropathology, and those who cried bitterly, thereby preventing the evaluation were excluded. DM was evaluated using the Alberta Infant Motor Scale. Results: Of the infants aged 0-3 months, 11.76% had atypical DM, 23.62% were at risk for motor delay, and 64.07% had typical DM. Among the infants aged 4-6 months (25.3%), less than half of the children (39.13%) had typical DM. Among the infants aged 4-6 months who did not have typical DM, 40% belonged to the group of premature infants. Conclusion: As the child grows, the motor experiences should be more challenging for DM to constantly evolve. The insertion of a physical therapist in childcare, together with the Family Health Strategy team, can expand care and guarantee the assessment, monitoring, and promotion of early stimulation of childhood DM, in addition to the recognition of its importance in primary care.
Highlights
The Childcare Program aims at the health promotion, prevention and early diagnosis of diseases and recovery from diseases in childhood through programmed monitoring of the child's growth and development
Among the infants aged 4-6 months who did not have typical DM, 40% belonged to the group of premature infants
This study aimed to characterize the DM of infants assessed by a physical therapist during childcare consultations at the Family Health Strategy (FHS) and Child Care Center in the municipality of Uruguaiana, RS, in addition to discussing the importance of inserting a physical therapist in the primary health care team
Summary
The Childcare Program aims at the health promotion, prevention and early diagnosis of diseases and recovery from diseases in childhood through programmed monitoring of the child's growth and development. The Ministry of Health (MS) instituted the National Policy for Integral Child Health Care, which aims at health promotion, prevention and early diagnosis of diseases, and recovery from diseases in childhood in conjunction with the scheduled monitoring of growth and development.[1] One of the resources used to monitor this is the Childcare Program, which comprises a set of techniques used to monitor and evaluate the child's physical and mental development from the gestational period until the age of 4 or 5 years.[2] The recommendation of the MS is at least seven routine consultations during the infant’s first year of life.[3]. Early diagnosis is very important for interventions to start as soon as possible
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