Background: Physicians are important actors in the field of child protection, which is a continuing societal challenge. In practice, however, there are often still uncertainties regarding the procedure to be taken in the event of (suspected) child abuse. Further training can help to counter these uncertainties and eliminate them. Therefore, the online course "Child protection in the medical field - a basic course for all health professionals" is currently being developed and evaluated in a project funded by the German Ministry of Health.
Method: The online course has a modular structure and imparts knowledge and competences in child protection using theoretical and practice-oriented methods. The accompanying research evaluates the course contents, the transfer of the contents into professional practice and the change of knowledge and competences in the field of child protection by taking part in the course.
Results and conclusions: A total of 280 (76.5%) of the 366 participating physicians have completed the course so far. The graduates showed a great satisfaction with the course and its contents. Self-assessment showed an increase in knowledge (Cohen's d = 1.4; p < 0.001), competence to act (Cohen's d = 1.1; p < 0.001) and self-efficacy (Cohen's d = 0.7; p < 0.001). 77% of the graduates have already changed their approach to (suspected) child abuse and 97% would recommend the course to colleagues. The online course therefore is a high-quality and scientifically evaluated possibility for health professionals to acquire competences in the field of child protection in medicine.
Keywords: advanced education; basic knowledge; child protection; e-learning; physicians.