Currently, the DIMHP has been implemented in 43 municipalities across the regions in Denmark.
How is the DIMHP perceived when it is implemented in practice?
A survey among community health nurses who were enrolled in the DIMHP training programme between 2018 and 19 sheds light on how a new standardised method such as DIMHP is experienced when implemented in practice. The study reported the first and immediate experiences, which indicate that the community health nurse experiences a sense of security and confidence in using a method that is based on research evidence. In addition, community health nurses’ healthcare skills are enhanced, and their professional identity is strengthened.
In connection with the completion of the DIMHP training and the implementation of the DIMHP across municipalities and regions in Denmark, an interview survey was also conducted to gather experiences from the participating community health nurses. This study shows that the DIMHP is perceived as an improvement of practice at the nine-to-ten-month visit because it provides the community health nurse with a method and a systematic approach to address all areas of the child’s development. In addition, the dialogue with parents during the DIMH assessment is perceived as central. It is essential for talking to parents about their child’s developmental vulnerabilities and potentials. You can read more about the above experiences in the article ‘How do community health nurses feel when a new standardised method like DIMHP is implemented in their practice’ (Danish title: Hvordan opleves det af sundhedsplejersker, når en ny standardiseret metode som PUF implementeres i deres praksis) published in Danish in the professional journal Sundhedsplejersken. You can find the article here.
What do experienced community health nurses say?
Recently, experienced community health nurses have also summarised their experiences of using the DIMHP in practice, based on more than 550 infant examinations. The quotes and the summary of the community health nurses’ experiences are from the article ‘DIMHP in practice’ (Published in Danish, Danish title: PUF i praksis). The article was published in the professional journal Sundhedsplejersken and is available here:
‘DIMHP is a helpful tool to describe and learn about the child’s development together with the parents and to address any vulnerabilities that emerge during the examination.’
‘The DIMHP helps me as a community health nurse not only to detect vulnerability in the child, but also to provide parents with guidance and support that is research-based.’
‘When I participate in a start-up meeting in a children’s nursery, I have agreed with the parents that I can mention the areas of development that the child is challenged in. In this way, the nursery doesn’t have to get to know the child first, but can support them from the start. This benefits the child.’
Read more quotes here:
‘In our school healthcare work, we meet many children with various vulnerabilities that, among other things, hinder their learning or affect their social well-being among their peers. I am very interested in this group of children and whether early intervention could have improved the child’s developmental conditions.’
‘Together with the parents, I get the opportunity to focus on their infant’s development right now. I see it as a great advantage of the DIMHP that we look at all areas of the child’s development together. Both the mental and the functional part.’
‘I like the structure where you build on what parents are motivated to do, and that the overall approach is to work with sensitive parenting.’
‘The DIMHP as a dialogue toolkit helps me as a community health nurse not only to detect vulnerability in the child, but also to provide parents with guidance and support that is research-based.’
‘The DIMHP guidelines give me inspiration for how I can offer parents a specific intervention and how we can address one or more of the child’s challenges.’
‘If the child has challenges, the nuanced examination of the DIMHP provides a good basis for referring to colleagues across professional specialisations.’
Summarising the experiences of community health nurses:
Benefits of the DIMHP from a practice point of view
- An evidence-based preventive approach is important
- Covers all areas of child development
- Systematic
- Dialogue-based (parents are actively involved)
- Guidelines provide inspiration for follow-up and evaluation
- Focus on sensitive parenting
- Research-based evidence as a starting point
- Relevant to practice (community health nurses were involved in the development)
- The programme provides up-to-date knowledge on early childhood development