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Citation |
Konijnendijk AAJ, Boere-Boonekamp MM, Kaya AH, Haasnoot ME, Need A. Child Abuse Negl. 2017; 69: 242-251. |
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Affiliation |
Department of Public Administration, Institute of Innovation and Governance Studies, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2017, Elsevier Publishing) |
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DOI |
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PMID |
28486161 |
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Abstract |
This study examined the presence and strengths of determinants associated with consultation of an in-house expert on child abuse and neglect (CAN) by preventive child health care professionals who suspect CAN. This study also assessed the relationship between in-house CAN expert consultation and professionals' performance of six recommended activities described in a national guideline on preventing CAN for preventive child health care professionals. A total of 154 professionals met the study's inclusion criteria. They filled in a questionnaire that measured in-house consultation practices and twelve determinants associated with the professional, the in-house expert, and the organizational context. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed. Almost half of the participants (46.8%) reported to consult the in-house expert in (almost) all of their suspected CAN cases. Professionals who reported better recollection of consulting the in-house expert (i.e. not forgetting to consult the expert) (p=.001), who were more familiar with consultation (p=.002), who had more positive attitudes and beliefs about consultation (p=.011) and who reported being more susceptible to the behavior (p=.001) and expectations/opinions (p=.025) of colleagues regarding in-house expert consultation were more likely to consult the in-house expert. Furthermore, in-house expert consultation was positively associated with two of six key guideline activities: consulting the regional child protection service and monitoring whether support was provided to families. The implications of these results for improving professionals' responses to CAN are discussed. Language: en |
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Keywords |
Child abuse and neglect; Clinical decision making; Consultation; Preventive child health care; Quality of care |