The evaluation of general knowledge of emergency care providers about child abuse and neglect

Öz

Aim: Child abuse and neglect is a public healthcare problem with medical, legal, developmental and psychosocial comprehension, having complex causes and tragic consequences. The incidence of it in societies is not fully detected. We aimed to measure the knowledge levels of doctors and allied healthcare personnel in emergency departments (ED) about child maltreatment, compare with non-healthcare control group and find out the altering factors.

 

Material and Methods: In our study, a group of 400 consisted of ED doctors, pediatricians and other healthcare providers who were working in Teaching, University and General Hospital ED in Ankara and 105 subjects as a control group were included. A survey consisting of the demographic questions which also had myth part about child abuse and neglect was configured. 

 

Results: Among the demographics and myth beliefs, it was found that the institutions where the doctors and allied staff work affect their belief in myths, the experience duration is a variable between healthcare staff, receiving training about child abuse is an altering factor for success rate and having children of own doesn’t affect the accuracy significantly (P > 0.05). The success rates of the control group showed similarity with allied personnel to each myth (P > 0.05). However, the control group had low accuracy on myths 7, 18, 19, 22, 25, 27, 30, and 35 than doctors.

 

Conclusion: All the healthcare providers who work in pediatric and emergency medicine clinics where pediatric patients are encountered mostly should know signs and symptoms of child abuse and neglect, in addition have responsibilities for reporting them to the legal departments. Furthermore, regular training programs should be applied both to community and healthcare system to disprove the myths on this topic.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Child abuse,neglect,sexual abuse

Acil sağlık çalışanlarının çocuk istismarı ve ihmali hakkında genel bilgilerinin değerlendirilmesi

Öz

Amaç: Çocuk istismarı ve ihmali, karmaşık nedenleri ve trajik sonuçları sebebiyle tıbbi, yasal, gelişimsel ve psikososyal bir halk sağlığı sorunudur. Toplum içindeki gerçek insidansı tam olarak bilinmemektedir. Çalışmamızda acil servislerde çalışan hekimler ve yardımcı sağlık personelinin çocuk istismarı ve ihmali hakkında bilgi düzeylerini ölçmeyi; elde edilen sonuçları sağlık çalışanı olmayan kontrol grubuyla karşılaştırmayı amaçladık.

  

Gereç ve Yöntemler: Çalışmamıza Ankara İlindeki Eğitim Araştırma, Üniversite ve Devlet hastanelerinde çalışan acil doktorları, pediatri hekimleri ve diğer sağlık çalışanlarından oluşan 400 kişilik bir çalışma grubu ve 105 katılımcıdan oluşan kontrol grubu dahil edilerek yapılmıştır. Katılımcılara hem demografik sorulardan oluşan hem de çocuk istismarı ve ihmali konusunda genel olarak inanılan mitleri içeren birer anket uygulanmıştır.

 

Bulgular: Demografik sorular ve mitler içeren ankette, doktorlar ve yardımcı sağlık çalışanlarının çalıştıkları kurumların mitlere bakış açısını etkilediği, deneyim süresinin sağlık çalışanları için bir değişken olduğu, çocuk istismarı konusunda eğitim almış olmanın belirleyici olduğu fakat çocuk sahibi olmanın cevaplardaki doğruluğu anlamlı şekilde etkilemediği tespit edilmiştir (p>0,05). Kontrol grubunun başarı oranları her mit için yardımcı sağlık personeli ile benzerlik göstermiştir (p> 0,05). Ancak kontrol grubunun 7, 18, 19, 22, 25, 27, 30 ve 35 numaralı mitlerde doktorlara göre düşük doğruluk oranları tespit edilmiştir.

 

Sonuçlar: Acil servislerinde ve çoğunlukla çocuk yaş grubunun bakıldığı pediatrik acil servislerinde çalışan tüm sağlık çalışanlarının çocuk istismarı ve ihmaline dair belirti ve bulgularını bilmeleri gerekmektedir. Ayrıca yasal birimlere bildirmeye yönelik sorumlulukları mevcuttur. Bu konudaki mitleri çürütmeye yönelik düzenli eğitim programları hem sağlık sisteminde hem de toplum düzeyinde uygulanmalıdır.

 

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Çocuk istismarı,ihmal,cinsel istismar

Kaynakça

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