Child health behaviour screening in Primary Health Care: Nominal Group Technique workshops with Australian practitioners.

AIM: Workshops with Primary Health Care (PHC) practitioners aimed to (1) identify and prioritise key features to include in a child health behaviour screening tool, and (2) understand prioritised supports needed to implement screening in PHC. BACKGROUND: PHC is a key setting for monitoring and promoting child health behaviours including dietary intake, physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep. Screening tools to monitor children's health behaviours in PHC are needed. METHODS: South Australian practitioners were recruited to participate in virtual workshops. The four-step Nominal Group Technique method was followed including individual brainstorming, round robin, group discussion, and voting. Collaborative recording of participant ideas and discussions, including workshop transcripts and live notes, enabled collection of qualitative quotes. Quantitative voting data were analysed to determine the relative importance of ideas. FINDINGS: Nine workshops were facilitated with two practitioner groups: 1) General Practice and Allied Health (n = 21) and 2) Child and Family Health (n = 8) . Ten practitioner-generated features of a screening tool and 10 supports to facilitate implementation of a screening tool were identified. Top ranked features included 'Clear results and next steps' and 'Question design and response format'. 'Practitioner training' and 'Practitioner resources' were key supports for implementation. Consistent findings across practitioner groups demonstrate tool features and implementation strategies that are likely to be widely accepted. Unique findings demonstrate context specific tool features and implementation strategies. This study provides important insight to guide the development of an acceptable child health behaviour screening tool to facilitate a supportive prevention environment in PHC.