Delayed child development: accuracy of indicators of the proposed nursing diagnosis

Abstract Objective To analyze the accuracy of clinical indicators of the proposed nursing diagnosis entitled “Delayed child development”. Methods This was a diagnostic accuracy study, with an analytical and cross-sectional design. The sample consisted of 30 infants followed up in specialized services in two cities in northeastern Brazil. A form for anamnesis and physical examination was applied with family sociodemographic data, infant clinical data and six clinical indicators of the proposed diagnosis. The latent class model was used to identify the diagnosis prevalence, specificity and sensitivity values. Results Among the study participants, 56.7% were male and had an adjusted mean age of 12.6 months (±6.14). The prevalence of the proposed diagnosis was 62.4%. Five indicators had significant sensitivity or specificity values (p=0.893), identified respectively as follows: Infant expresses difficulty in receptive language (48%; 83%) and Difficulty in social interaction (74%; 81%) can be used to confirm the presence of the diagnosis. In contrast, Language delay in infants (99%; 79%) is relevant to understand the early stages of diagnosis. Impaired cognitive ability in learning (88%; 87%) and Cognitive difficulty in problem-solving (85%; 99%) were the best indicators to predict the diagnosis. The posterior probability analysis indicates that Language delay in infants was present whenever delayed child development was confirmed. Conclusion Five clinical indicators showed significant sensitivity and specificity to infer delayed child development.