Knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding child maltreatment among health care providers working in primary care centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes, and current practice of primary healthcare physicians and nurses employed at the National Guard affiliated Primary Care Centers related to child abuse and neglect. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted at four National Guard affiliated Primary Care Centers, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from May to September 2019. A total of 308 physicians and nurses participated in the study, using a convenience sampling technique. After obtaining informed consent, data was collected with a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: The overall attitude score was excellent in 64.2% of the sample. The majority (90.3%) had an excellent knowledge score. The study indicated that the married group and participants with more than 10 years of experience were more aware of child maltreatment reporting procedures compared to the non-married group and less experienced participants. Almost two-thirds of the sample (67.2%) agreed that child abuse and neglect are underreported in Saudi Arabia. Lack of knowledge was the most frequent reason for underreporting. CONCLUSION: Our study highlighted that most of the primary care physicians and nurses at King Abdulaziz Medical City had excellent knowledge and positive attitudes related to child maltreatment. However, a major knowledge deficit exists in terms of the reporting procedures of suspected child maltreatment cases.