International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health | November 2024 | Vol 11 | Issue 11 Page 4384 International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health Chandru BA et al. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2024 Nov;11(11):4384-4392 http://www.ijcmph.com pISSN 2394-6032 | eISSN 2394-6040 Original Research Article Competency mapping among Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram nurses in Kerala B. Aravind Chandru 1 , Jerry Philip George 2 , Devika Rajeesh 1 , Bhavya Benzigar Fernandez 1 *, Thanooja N. T. 3 , V. Jithesh 1 INTRODUCTION The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India introduced the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) in 2013 as part of the National Health Mission. This initiative focuses on screening and treating children for the 4 D’s which are diseases, developmental delays, birth defects and deficiencies, from birth up to eighteen years of age. 1 In India, six to seven percent of newborns (1.7 million children) each year are born with birth defects which accounts for 9.6% of infant mortality. 2 RBSK nurses, an integral part of this program, conduct the first level of screening at public health facilities. This aids in the early detection and referral of children with 4D’s covering 31 health conditions, while ensuring that those referred to other hospitals receive appropriate and timely treatment. 3 RBSK nurses also work with the mobile health team to provide comprehensive care to remote areas. 4 In addition to ensuring early diagnosis with timely intervention and a continuum of care, they are also responsible for patient education, maintaining accurate health records and data management. 5 ABSTRACT Background: In India, birth defects, nutritional deficiencies, disabilities, and developmental delays among children cause significant public health challenges. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, aims to address these issues through the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) program. RBSK nurses are the crucial part of this program. They screen the children between zero to eighteen years as a part of early intervention. This study mainly aimed to map the competencies among RBSK nurses from randomly selected districts of Kerala. Methods: This qualitative study employed key informant interviews with the state nodal officer, district early intervention centre managers, and district coordinators; and in-depth interviews (IDIs) with RBSK nurses, as well as report and document review. Inductive coding was applied to two selected interview transcripts from each district, followed by deductive coding with the rest of the transcribed data to derive themes. Results: The findings are presented using the ‘core competencies of public health professionals’ as revised and adopted by the council on linkages between academia and public health practice in 2021. RBSK nurses in Kerala exhibited proficiency in multiple domains, including knowledge of child health issues, clinical skills, communication, patient education, care for vulnerable population, organizing activities, electronic health record usage, multitasking, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. Conclusions: This dedication and proficiency demonstrated by RBSK nurses in Kerala, serve as a global model for emphasising the importance of early intervention and comprehensive care for children. Keywords: Child health, Competency, Kerala, Nurses, RBSK 1 State Health Systems Resource Centre- Kerala, Thycaud, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India 2 Medical Data Researcher, Gideon Informatics, Trivandrum, Kerala, India 3 Master of Public Health Student, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India Received: 30 August 2024 Accepted: 07 October 2024 *Correspondence: Dr. Bhavya Benzigar Fernandez, E-mail: bhavya.fernandez@gmail.com Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20243303