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Health screening at school entry—what is achieved?
Author(s) -
REZNIK ROBERT,
STARTE DAVID,
MOREY SUE
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
journal of paediatrics and child health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.631
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1440-1754
pISSN - 1034-4810
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1754.1985.tb02124.x
Subject(s) - medicine , abnormality , pediatrics , physical examination , family medicine , dental health , medical record , psychiatry , surgery
Evaluative research on screening in school children is needed because of a lack of studies about its effectiveness. This paper reports a study of the school medical records of 790 children, aged 5‐6 years, first screened in 1980. Sixty‐six per cent of the parents of children who were notified of an abnormality in their child were followed up to determine subsequent action. Although a complete physical examination had been performed, 87% of all notified abnormalities involved vision (including squint), hearing and dental problems. The prevalence rate of previously unknown health problems (excluding dental problems) confirmed by another health professional was 5%. This rate was lowered to 2% when only children with moderate or severe problems presently receiving treatment were included. Some of the practical problems and importance of screening are discussed.