Kindeswohlgefährdung: (k)ein Thema!?

Studies show that child maltreatment is common in Germany. This has implications for the health care system in terms of identifying child maltreatment and initiating further intervention. Physicians in primary care have an important key function in this context. The aim of this study is to describe the awareness, perceived competence, and need for further training regarding this topic among physicians working in primary care in Germany.

Data derived from telephone calls (N = 59) made by physicians from outpatient internal medicine and general medicine to the Medical Child Protection Hotline in the period between July 2017 and December 2021 were analyzed. In addition, as part of a needs assessment for an e‑learning curriculum on psychosocial topics, a qualitative evaluation of semi-structured interviews was conducted with N = 15 family physicians, focusing on their experiences with identifying and managing cases of child maltreatment.

The data of the Medical Child Protection Hotline showed a relatively low number of calls from primary care physicians. Consultation concerns focused in particular on the further procedure in the context of child protection, existing examination findings and the conduct of interviews. Participants of the needs assessment indicated having had little experience with the topic so far, but uncertainties were mentioned with regard to the identification of child protection cases and the conduct of discussions with parents.

These findings suggest moderate levels of awareness about child maltreatment among primary care physicians in Germany. The consultations via the Medical Child Protection Hotline reflected the challenges and uncertainties derived from the qualitative interviews. These findings indicate further training needs regarding identifying and managing child maltreatment in primary care.