Abstract
BackgroundThe World Health Organization states that 35% of women experience domestic violence at least once during their lifetimes. However, approximately 80% of health professionals have never received any training on management of this major public health concern.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of health professions digital education on domestic violence compared to that of traditional ways or no intervention.MethodsSeven electronic databases were searched for randomized controlled trials from January 1990 to August 2017. The Cochrane Handbook guideline was followed, and studies reporting the use of digital education interventions to educate health professionals on domestic violence management were included.ResultsSix studies with 631 participants met our inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis of 5 studies showed that as compared to control conditions, digital education may improve knowledge (510 participants and 5 studies; standardized mean difference [SMD] 0.67, 95% CI 0.38-0.95; I2=59%; low certainty evidence), attitudes (339 participants and 3 studies; SMD 0.67, 95% CI 0.25-1.09; I2=68%; low certainty evidence), and self-efficacy (174 participants and 3 studies; SMD 0.47, 95% CI 0.16-0.77; I2=0%; moderate certainty evidence).ConclusionsEvidence of the effectiveness of digital education on health professionals’ understanding of domestic violence is promising. However, the certainty of the evidence is predominantly low and merits further research. Given the opportunity of scaled transformative digital education, both further research and implementation within an evaluative context should be prioritized.
Highlights
Domestic violence is a complex public health problem [1] that places a notable burden on the health care system [2]
The World Health Organization (WHO) commissioned a multinational study on domestic violence with data collected from 10 countries, which showed that 13%-61% of women between the ages of 15-49 years had experienced physical abuse from their intimate partners at least once in their lifetime [3]
We systematically reviewed and pooled data on the use of digital education for domestic violence management
Summary
Domestic violence ( referred to as family violence) is a complex public health problem [1] that places a notable burden on the health care system [2]. The World Health Organization (WHO) defined domestic violence, an aggressive and oppressive form of interpersonal violence, as a situation where an individual uses control tactics to emotionally, physically, sexually, or economically abuse a family member or past/current romantic partner [3]. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of health professions digital education on domestic violence compared to that of traditional ways or no intervention. The Cochrane Handbook guideline was followed, and studies reporting the use of digital education interventions to educate health professionals on domestic violence management were included. Conclusions: Evidence of the effectiveness of digital education on health professionals’ understanding of domestic violence is promising. Given the opportunity of scaled transformative digital education, both further research and implementation within an evaluative context should be prioritized
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