title: Successful e-learning programme on the detection of child abuse in emergency departments: a randomised controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effectiveness of an electronic learning (e-learning) programme on the performance of nurses in the recognition of child abuse in a simulated case in the Emergency Department (ED).
  
  
  METHODS
  Blinded, randomised controlled trial using pre- and postintervention design.
  
  
  METHODS
  The ED of a University Medical Center in the Netherlands.
  
  
  METHODS
  38 ED nurses were included, 25 nurses were analysed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Half of the participants followed a 2-hour e-learning programme focused on the recognition of child abuse, the others acted as a control group.
  
  
  METHODS
  Individual performance during a case-simulated parent interview to detect child abuse and self-reported self-efficacy for the detection of child abuse. Performance on the simulation was scored by an expert panel using a standardised assessment form which was designed to score quantity and quality of the questions posed by the nurse (minimum score 0; maximum score 114).
  
  
  RESULTS
  During post-test, nurses in the intervention group performed significantly better during the simulation than the control group, (89 vs 71, 95% CI 2.9 to 33.3), and reported higher self-efficacy (502 vs 447, 95% CI -25.4 to 134.7). Performance in detecting child abuse correlated positively with the self-efficacy score (Spearman correlation 0.387, p value 0.056). Comparing post- and pretest results separately for the intervention and the control group showed a significant increase in performance in the intervention group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  E-learning improved the performance in case simulations and the self-efficacy of the nurses in the ED in the detection of child abuse. Wider implementation of the e-learning programme to improve the first step in the detection of child abuse is recommended.
authors.affiliation: University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A E F N
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Smeekens
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Broekhuijsen-van Henten
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Sittig
authors.forename: I M B
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Russel
authors.forename: O Th J
authors.initials: OT
authors.lastname: ten Cate
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: van de Putte
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction / Q000379:methods*; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing / Q000379:methods*; D016529:Emergency Nursing / Q000193:education*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016544:Patient Simulation; D020377:Self Efficacy