Knowledge and Attitude Regarding Child Abuse Among Primary Healthcare Physicians and Interns in Al Qassim, Saudi Arabia

Aldukhayel, Abdulrhman; Aljarbou, Emad; Alturki, Fatima Muhammad; AlMazyad, Nouf S.; Alsaqer, Ohud M; Almutairi, Raghad

doi:10.7759/cureus.12270

Cited by 10 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Our study shows that the current academic sessions in the curriculum were not sufficient, as they were less frequently described as being high quality in our survey, along with a high demand to receive additional education. This finding was similar to that in other studies [ 11 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…In Saudi Arabia, variation was noted among pediatricians regarding CAN reporting, ranging from 43–82%, being more reported by those who had had a local education compared to those who received their education abroad [ 14 ]. Other studies, including one in Saudi Arabia, found similar findings that healthcare professionals might have poor knowledge about CAN reporting, which is a significant issue [ 9 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

“…It is important to teach this topic to medical students, as they are future physicians, and poor knowledge and awareness of CAN in medical students will increase the number of CAN cases going unnoticed [ 7 , 9 , 16 , 19 ]. In the literature, one study in Saudi Arabia comparing CAN awareness among medical interns and students in a local university in 2021 stated that knowledge of reporting systems in medical students was inadequate, and in another one, although medical students took formal training on CAN, many of them agreed on needing further training in this field [ 9 , 17 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Child Abuse and Neglect Awareness among Medical Students

et al. 2022

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Physical, emotional, and sexual abuse and various forms of neglect of children have been encountered more frequently by healthcare providers, particularly physicians. However, mismanagement of child abuse and neglect (CAN) due to a lack of awareness of it can lead to substantial and serious consequences. This study primarily aimed to evaluate the awareness of CAN among medical students and compare it between preclinical and clinical males and females in Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study using a self-reported-based questionnaire was carried out to study child abuse and neglect awareness and compare preclinical and clinical male versus female medical students during the first semester in 2021/2022. The majority of the participants were aware of CAN (90.6%), agreed that CAN exists locally (96.6%), believed that CAN is important in the medical field (96.3%), and expressed the important role of physicians in participating in the management of CAN (84.3%). Some students did not know about the legislation of CAN in Saudi Arabia (15%). The results show a lack of exposure to real CAN cases (80.3%) and the need for more formal education (70.3%). In general, the students were comparable, but there were significant differences showing more awareness in female students compared to males and, similarly, more awareness in clinical-year students. Both clinical and preclinical medical students were aware of CAN, with some concerns regarding their competency in dealing with CAN. CAN should be given more weight in the medical school curriculum.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Child Abuse and Neglect Awareness among Medical Students

et al. 2022

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“…These findings are similar to local studies conducted in Abha and Alqassim among primary care physicians, reporting that most of the respondents had a good awareness level and knowledge regarding child abuse and neglect. [ 22 27 ] Two studies with pediatricians indicated that despite good basic knowledge of CAN, they observed major deficits in the reporting procedures. [ 8 9 ]…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similar positive attitudes toward CAN were reported in pediatricians and family doctors. [ 8 22 27 ] Despite the high awareness of the Saudi National Program to protect against CM and the Child Protective Service at KAMC, only 30.2% considered the current services and programs to be adequate.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding child maltreatment among health care providers working in primary care centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Alkathiri

Baraja

Alaqeel

2021

Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care

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Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes, and current practice of primary healthcare physicians and nurses employed at the National Guard affiliated Primary Care Centers related to child abuse and neglect. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted at four National Guard affiliated Primary Care Centers, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from May to September 2019. A total of 308 physicians and nurses participated in the study, using a convenience sampling technique. After obtaining informed consent, data was collected with a self-administered questionnaire. Results: The overall attitude score was excellent in 64.2% of the sample. The majority (90.3%) had an excellent knowledge score. The study indicated that the married group and participants with more than 10 years of experience were more aware of child maltreatment reporting procedures compared to the non-married group and less experienced participants. Almost two-thirds of the sample (67.2%) agreed that child abuse and neglect are underreported in Saudi Arabia. Lack of knowledge was the most frequent reason for underreporting. Conclusion: Our study highlighted that most of the primary care physicians and nurses at King Abdulaziz Medical City had excellent knowledge and positive attitudes related to child maltreatment. However, a major knowledge deficit exists in terms of the reporting procedures of suspected child maltreatment cases.

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Professional practice and awareness of child abuse among radiologists and radiologic technologists: results from Saudi Arabia

et al. 2022

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Background The knowledge, awareness and professionalism of health care providers in the field of child protection are crucial in identifying and reporting suspected child abuse. Radiologic technologists and radiologists play a vital role in the diagnosis of suspected physical child abuse. Objective To assess current practice, knowledge and awareness of child abuse among radiologic technologists and radiologists in Saudi Arabia. Materials and methods We distributed an internet-based questionnaire to radiologic technologists and radiologists working in Saudi Arabia via national radiology societies and social media channels over a 6-week period (27 October to 8 December 2021). Survey questions covered knowledge regarding child abuse, professional practice in radiology departments in Saudi Arabia in cases of suspected physical abuse (SPA), and knowledge of the national legislation and reporting and acting procedures in child abuse. Results A total of 315 respondents (224 radiologic technologists and 91 radiologists) participated in this study. The median score for knowledge of abuse was higher amongst radiologists (4.8) than radiologic technologists (4.0); P < 0.001. In total, 210 (93.8%) radiologic technologists and 61 (67.0%) radiologists reported that there was no protocol (i.e. skeletal survey) at their hospital for imaging children with SPA. Most radiologic technologists had no training in paediatric radiology (165/224, 73.7%) and most radiologists had received no training in evaluating imaging performed for SPA (73/91, 80.2%). More than half of respondents — 131 (58.5%) radiologic technologists and 44 (48.4%) radiologists — were not familiar with the reporting and acting procedures at their hospitals in cases of child abuse. Conclusion Although radiologic technologists and radiologists in Saudi Arabia have good knowledge and awareness of child abuse in general, they lack specific knowledge of the reporting and acting procedures at their hospitals in cases of suspected child abuse. National imaging guidelines and training courses are needed to develop appropriate skills in the recognition, imaging and reporting of SPA in infants and young children in Saudi Arabia.

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Knowledge and Attitude Regarding Child Abuse Among Primary Healthcare Physicians and Interns in Al Qassim, Saudi Arabia

Cited by 10 publications

References 16 publications

Child Abuse and Neglect Awareness among Medical Students

Child Abuse and Neglect Awareness among Medical Students

Knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding child maltreatment among health care providers working in primary care centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Professional practice and awareness of child abuse among radiologists and radiologic technologists: results from Saudi Arabia

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