why choose us

300×250 Ad Slot

Research Article: Knowledge of Child Abuse and Neglect among General Practitioners and Pediatricians in Training: A Survey

Date Published: 2023-08-22

Abstract:
Child abuse and neglect is a common, underreported, and worldwide problem. Health care providers play an important role in detecting and reporting this problem. This study examined the knowledge on the clinical signs and mimickers of child abuse among Belgian trainees in family medicine and pediatrics. Participants filled out an anonymous online survey of 15 fictional but realistic cases with either suspicious or non-suspicious signs of abuse or neglect in the context of primary or emergency care. The overall score on all cases, the number of correct answers per case, and the median score were calculated, and the association of the participant’s demographic characteristics with their score was examined using regression analysis. A total of 70 participants completed the survey. The overall median score was 73.3% (IQR 20.0%). The suspicious cases were solved more correctly than the non-suspicious cases (median: 85.7% versus 62.5%, p < 0.001). Regression analysis could not reveal a significant association of type and level of education with the performance on the survey. Knowledge of the clinical signs of child maltreatment among pediatricians and general practitioners in training is good, but there is still room for improvement.

Introduction:
Child abuse and neglect is common and occurs in all countries around the world [1,2]. It is a broad phenomenon, which includes not only sexual and physical maltreatment, but also emotional maltreatment as well as neglect [3]. The prevalence rates of sexual and physical abuse during childhood are estimated at around 12.7% and 22.6%, respectively. While data on the other forms of maltreatment are scarce, the estimated prevalence rates for emotional maltreatment, physical neglect, and emotional neglect during…

Read more

300×250 Ad Slot