Medico-legal Aspects of Medical Child Protection in Preclinical Emergency Medicine - a Survey of Emergency Doctors in Berlin

Background Emergency physicians can be confronted with (suspected) cases of child abuse at any time. The aim of this study is to assess the relevance and difficulties in dealing with (suspected) cases of child abuse. Methods In 2018, 445 emergency physicians in Berlin received an email with a link to a partly standardized questionnaire to record the frequency of (suspected) cases of child abuse in their subjective experience - regarding difficulties in dealing with these cases as well as prerequisites for medical child protection. Results The response rate was 21.1%. 55.9% of the emergency physicians saw at least one (suspected) case of child abuse in 2018, and 95.7% mention difficulties in dealing with these cases. Discussion The results show that emergency physicians are indeed confronted with child abuse. The acquisition of medical-legal as well as diagnostic-medical knowledge can help build the emergency physicians' confidence in their actions.