Project Profile

Nova Scotia Health Promotion and Protection, Review of Public Health Roles in the Delivery of Well Child Programs and Services

Nova Scotia Health Promotion and Protection, through Public Health Services, has a vision for early childhood development in Nova Scotia and, as such, it develops programs and standards that impact on families and children throughout the province.  PMCS assisted Public Health Services by exploring the role of public health within the delivery of the well child services it offers to children and families that are usually delivered at the time of primary immunization.  The goal of this work was to explore promising practices and best practices for supporting the health and development of children aged 0 to 5 years through public health well child services and initiatives; and to identify potential enhancements that could be implemented to public health well child services in Nova Scotia.

PMCS worked with Nova Scotia Health Promotion and Protection to:

• conduct a literature review of the formal peer reviewed and grey literature to provide evidence and best practices for the role of public health in supporting well child programs and initiatives;

• develop interview guides and conducting interviews with key informants from across the province;

• conduct a thematic analysis of the findings of the literature review and key informant interviews;  and

• develop a report that summarized the findings of the literature review and key informant interviews, including recommendations in the areas of standards development, implementation and change management, documentation methods, coordination with other sectors, assessment and intervention resources, professional development, evaluation and knowledge transfer.