The Developmental Screening Behaviors, Skills, Facilitators, and Constraints of Family Nurse Practitioners in Primary Care: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Introduction: Researchers have found that many primary care providers are not following developmental screening recommendations. Few studies exist on the screening behaviors of advanced practice nurses. Methods: A qualitative descriptive study explored the screening behaviors, skills, and environmental facilitators/constraints of 24 family nurse practitioners (FNPs) who cared for pediatric patients from birth to 5 years of age in primary care settings. An inductive approach to content analysis was used to interpret the data. Results: Five main themes emerged: (a) Developmental Screening Behaviors During Well-Child Visits, (b) Developmental Screening Behaviors When a Concern Was Raised (c) Need for Additional Developmental Screening Skills, (d) Factors That Support Developmental Screening, and (e) Factors That Limit Developmental Screening. Sixteen subthemes supported the main themes. Discussion: Most FNPs were not using standardized tools. Behaviors mainly consisted of actions that were informal. FNPs were not familiar with current recommendations, and they had difficulty describing most instruments.