Background information and discussion questionnaires are useful tools in maternity and child health clinic health examinations. Questionnaires can serve as a basis for discussion and often help structure the situation. Health examinations aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of the child’s and family’s situation.
Use the information obtained in advance when planning the content of the examination according to the individual needs of the child and family and when scheduling an appropriate time for the appointment. The client can use the questionnaire to raise issues that may otherwise be difficult to mention or discuss. Client work is fundamentally based on open and attentive interaction between the client and the professional.
Questionnaires support client work
Various questionnaires have been developed to support client work. Assess the need for using a questionnaire according to the circumstances. You can give the client a questionnaire to complete at home and discuss together with a spouse, partner or child. You can also use questionnaires in group settings to promote community engagement when addressing issues concerning the group.
Good interaction cannot be achieved by questionnaires alone. Free discussion is also needed. At the beginning of the examination, ask about the client’s wellbeing and any concerns. At the end of the examination, ask whether the client wishes to discuss anything further.
Questionnaires are useful only when the client trusts the professional and feels safe to share their situation and concerns. Ask the client for feedback on the use of questionnaires and develop the content of health examinations together with them.
Using questionnaires requires sufficient expertise and, in some cases, training and supervision (e.g. Vavu). The introduction of questionnaires should be based on a shared agreement within the organisation.
Some questionnaires include scoring systems and calculated risk or concern thresholds. Questionnaires cannot be used to make a diagnosis; instead, the results initiate discussion and possible further assessment. A good practice is to ask the client what thoughts the interpretation based on the score evokes.
Questionnaires are based on theoretical and research evidence. They have been developed and evaluated based on feedback from professionals and clients. Use questionnaires only in their original form and respect copyright.
Use only an appropriate number of questionnaires
Consider the appropriate number of questionnaires to use during a single health examination. Time constraints do not allow for the use of many different questionnaires in one appointment, as there must also be time for discussion. The most important aspects of a health examination are confidential interaction and discussion about the client’s situation. There must be space for good interaction and listening to the client within the overall examination. A large number of questionnaires may feel unpleasant to clients, and they may feel they are only being measured or assessed.
Completing questionnaires is always voluntary and not completing them must not affect access to services or their content. You can always address topics through discussion alone. Inform the client about the purpose of the questionnaires, the voluntary nature of completing them, and how the information will be used and where it will be stored.