Tiempo requerido para la administración de una prueba de pesquisa de trastornos del desarrollo psicomotor infantil

the prunape (national screening test) was prepared in argentina by the service of growth and development at hospital garrahan for the early detection of problems of psychomotor development in children under five, based on a nation-wide sample. this test has recently been validated, showing a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 93%. the goal of the present study was to assess the time required for the administration of the test, when performed by pediatricians with different training levels. population, material and methods. the growth and development service coordinated two experiences: the first one in which 3 pediatric residents in each of three hospitals administered the test to 110 healthy children randomly selected from the ambulatory department of each hospital. the residents received a 12-hour training course on the administration of the test. results. frequency distribution of data from two hospitals (gutiérrez and garrahan) revealed a non-gaussian distribution. the median time (and range) required for the administration of the test was 12.0 (5-22), 15.0 (6-20) and 11.0 (3-21) minutes for elizalde, garrahan, and gutierrez hospitals, respectively. nonparametric tests (χ2) showed that there were no significant differences in the time consumed for the administration of the test between the three hospitals, or between the abbreviated and the complete modality of administration. conclusion. the results allow the recommendation of the routine use of prunape during the first years of life at the primary care level.