A Multidisciplinary Education Intervention to Increase Family Physicians' Knowledge and Self-Efficacy in Recognizing and Managing Cases of Child Neglect and Abuse

İrem Gelgeç, Cigdem Apaydin Kaya, Pemra C. Unalan, Fatih Hitami Usluoğulları, Sıtkı Tıplamaz, Mehmet Akif İnanıcı, Gürkan Sert

Keywords: Child neglect, child abuse, education, family medicine, primary care, continuing medical education, child maltreatment

Background:

According to studies, family physicians need training in recognizing and managing cases of child neglect and abuse (CNA) and it was seen that there wasn’t education intervention research for primary care in Turkiye on this subject before.

Research questions:

Is a training to increase family physicians' knowledge and self-efficacy in recognizing and managing CNA cases effective?

Method:

This is a educational intervention study conducted with family physicians in Istanbul between May-June 2023. The volunteer physicians who invited via telephone messaging groups, were given a full-day interactive training by the psychologists, lawyers, social workers and family medicine and forensic medicine academicians in small groups. The content of the education was based on real CNA cases encountered in primary health care and conducted through lectures and structred case-based discussions. Physicians were filled a form before the education included socio-demographic characteristics, the "Scale for Diagnosis of Symptoms and Risks of Child Abuse and Neglect" (SDSRCAN), and the "Self-efficacy Assessment Form (SEAF) in Managing CNA Cases". At the end of the education and six months later, SDSRCAN and SEAF were filled again. In addition, physicians were requested give feedback about the training with a maximum of 10 points. In analysis, Wilcoxon or Friedman test was used. P<.05 was considered significant.

Results:

Thirty eight physicians with a median age of 30±8 were participated in the study (76% F;24% M). Average scores of SDSRCAN were 4.07±0.35 before the training, 4.5±0.36 at the end of the the training and 4.4±0.4 six months after the training (p<0.001). An increase in SEAF score was also detected six months after the training compared to before the training (29.7±8; 42.7±5; p<0.001). The mean education feedback point of the physicians was 9.5±0.7.

Conclusions:

The multidisciplinary educational program for family physicians, encompassing case-based discussions and lectures on recognizing and managing CNA cases, is effective.

Points for discussion:

Are there any pre or post graduation trainings for family physicians in your country about managing child neglect and abuse cases?

How could the educational method be more effective in order to ensure the knowledge and self-efficacy permanence?

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