Interrater reliability of the SPARK36, a novel instrument to guide preventive nurse-led consultations with parents of three-year olds

Abstract

Introduction

We aimed to evaluate the interrater reliability of the Structured Problem Analysis of Raising Kids aged 36 months (SPARK36). The instrument guides Youth Health Care nurses during a parent-child consultation in assessing the risk for child developmental and parenting problems.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Flemish School Health Services using a convenience sample of parents and their three-year-olds from January until June 2022. Two SPARK36-trained nurses completed the SPARK36 form during the parent-child consultation, with the second nurse listening to the first without interfering. Weighted Cohen's kappa (K_w) coefficients were used to examine agreement for the SPARK36 domains scores and the overall risk assessment.

Results

Fifty-five SPARK36-led consultations were performed by 5 nurses. For all 16 SPARK36 domains a substantial to almost perfect K_w ≥ (≥0.62) was measured, and an almost perfect K_w of 0.91 was found for the overall risk assessment.

Conclusion

Our results indicate a high level of agreement between raters, suggesting that the nurses' use of the instrument after training and education comes with uniformity and objectivity in assessing child developmental and parenting problems. Using the SPARK36 can contribute to improving the quality of care by reducing variability in Youth Health Care nurses' assessments, finally leading to more equity.