Abstract
The objectives of this cross-sectional survey were to assess primary health professionals' perceptions of and ability to recognize child physical abuse in their practice. A random sample was taken of 979 nurses, doctors, and dentists working in primary care in Northern Ireland. The response rate was 44%, and the results showed that 59% of respondents had seen a suspicious case of child physical abuse, of which 47% (n = 201) had reported it. Ability and willingness to recognize and report abuse varied across the three professions. The findings suggest a professional reluctance to engage in recognizing and reporting abuse. The barriers could be reduced by providing multi-professional and inter-agency training, support for the primary health professionals in practice, as well as higher education programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels for nursing, dentistry and medicine.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 332-338 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | British Journal of Community Nursing |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| Publication status | Published - 2004 |