title: Pediatric resident and faculty knowledge of the Denver II.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess knowledge of the Denver II, the revised developmental screening tool recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, in residents and faculty, and to evaluate a teaching intervention for incoming postgraduate year 1 (PGY-1) trainees.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional test of knowledge for all subjects and pretesting and posttesting of the incoming PGY- 1 trainees.
  
  
  METHODS
  University of Texas-Houston Medical School Department of Pediatrics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Faculty (n = 9) and residents (n = 78), including an intervention group (n = 45), of incoming PGY-1 trainees over 2 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Postgraduate year 1 trainees in both 1994 through 1995 and 1995 through 1996 viewed the Denver II training videotape on entry into a continuity clinic. Trainees were encouraged to perform Denver II evaluations on at least 1 appropriate patient at each pediatric clinic session and had access to Denver II support materials.
  
  
  METHODS
  Scores on the Denver II Proficiency Written Test, self-reported measures of comfort, and number of Denver II evaluations performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean (SD) test scores for incoming, preintervention PGY-1 trainees (n = 45) (41.3 [9.6]) did not differ from scores for outgoing PGY-1 trainees (n = 13) (38.5 [10.4]) who had not received the intervention. Postintervention PGY-1 test results were significantly improved (59.4 [10.6]) (P<.001). Test scores for upper-level residents who had participated in the developmental pediatrics rotation (n = 14) were better (55.3 [9.31), but all scored below passing. Residents who had not yet participated in the developmental pediatrics rotation (n = 19) and members of the general pediatric faculty (n = 9) had scores similar to those of PGY-1 trainees (40.9 [13.4] and 39.0 [15.1], respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Residents had a greater knowledge of the Denver II after completing a developmental pediatrics rotation. Our intervention produced significant improvement in PGY-1 trainees' knowledge, raising it to levels similar to those of upper-level residents exposed to developmental pediatrics. Faculty were not expert in using the Denver II.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas-Houston Medical School, 77030, USA. mbarratt@ped1.med.uth.tmc.edu
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Barratt
authors.forename: V A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Moyer
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000193:education*