Preschool health supervision — formative SAQs

SAQ 1 (10 marks)

A 4-year-old attends for a preschool/school-entry health check. The caregiver mainly wants “the form signed.” ^[4]

1. List the essential domains you will cover beyond immunisation status. (4) ^{[1] [4]}
2. How will you approach developmental and school-readiness assessment at the bedside? (3) ^{[1] [2]}
3. Outline your safety-net if you refer for speech and hearing concerns. (3) ^[16]

Model answer

Domains: growth and BMI-for-age; developmental/school-readiness surveillance; vision and hearing gates; oral health/fluoride; immunisation reconciliation against the official schedule; behaviour, sleep and media; injury prevention (including passenger safety); social determinants and safeguarding. ^{[1] [4] [5] [6] [8]}

Bedside approach: open caregiver concerns; observe language, social reciprocity, play and motor skills; use evidence-informed milestones; deploy validated screens per local programme; document domains and sources. ^{[1] [2]}

Safety-net: written plan, red-flag symptoms for earlier return, how to chase appointments, interim strategies, and clear review timing if waitlists are long. ^[16]