Evaluation of the mandatory child abuse course for physicians: do we need to repeat it? A.N.G.A. Khan a,b, * , D.H. Rubin c,d , G. Winnik b a Pediatric Emergency Division, Childrens Hospital of New York-Presbyterian, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA b Department of Emergency Medicine, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA c Department of Pediatrics and Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, St. Barnabas Hospital, Bronx, NY, USA d Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA Received 7 April 2004; received in revised form 4 September 2004; accepted 5 October 2004 Available online 30 January 2005 KEYWORDS Child abuse; Child maltreatment; Training course; Professional education Summary Introduction. Child abuse is one of the most common disorders affecting children of all ages. The objective of this study was to measure and assess the effectiveness of the mandated New York State child abuse and maltreatment course, and to identify and define the need for a refresher course. Methods. This study was conducted in two parts. Part 1 consisted of a web- based survey among the paediatric members of ‘Physicians Online’ in New York State, and Part 2 consisted of an anonymous questionnaire survey using conventional US mail among the registered physicians in New York State who took the mandatory ‘Recognition of Child Abuse and Maltreatment Course’ between January 1988 and December 1998. The questionnaire included demographic information, test questions, and opinions of the physicians regarding the need for a refresher course. Results. The web survey yielded 239/664 (36%) responses in 1 week. Approximately 45% of the respondents agreed that participation in the course produced a significant difference in their knowledge base and recommended that the course should be repeated every 5 years. The response rate for the mail survey was 56% (424/756). Among the respondents, 88% agreed that participation in the course produced an increased source of knowledge and practice (mean score of 3.2G1.2 using a scale of 1–5; where 1Zdisagree and 5Zagree). The time since the course was taken (1–5 years vs O5 years ago) did not significantly influence their responses. Although 84% of the respondents answered the test questions correctly, significant differences were noted across practice specialty (P!0.05). In response to the question Public Health (2005) 119, 626–631 0033-3506/$ - see front matter Q 2005 The Royal Institute of Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author. Address: 300 West 261st Street, Riverdale, NY 10471, USA. Tel.: C1 718 796 0682. E-mail address: ank14@columbia.edu (A.N.G.A. Khan).