Identifying child maltreatment during virtual medical appointments through the COVID-19 pandemic: A physician-based survey.

Background: Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic there has been a documented decline in reports to child protective services, despite an increased incidence of child maltreatment. This is concerning for increasing missed cases. This study aims to examine if and how Canadian paediatricians are identifying maltreatment in virtual medical appointments.

Methods: A survey was sent through the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program (CPSP) to 2770 practicing general and subspecialty paediatricians. Data was collected November 2021 to January 2022.

Results: With a 34% (928/2770) response rate, 704 surveys were eligible for analysis. At least one case of child maltreatment was reported by 11% (78/700) of respondents following a virtual appointment. The number of cases reported was associated with years in medical practice (P = 0.026) but not with the volume (P = 0.735) or prior experience (P = 0.127) with virtual care, or perceived difficulty in identifying cases virtually (Cramer's V = 0.096). The most common factors triggering concern were the presence of social stressors, or a clear disclosure. The virtual physical exam was not contributory. Nearly one quarter (24%, 34/143) required a subsequent in-person appointment prior to reporting the case and 32% (207/648) reported concerns that a case had been identified late, or missed, following a virtual appointment. Some commented that clear harm resulted.

Conclusions: Many barriers to detecting child maltreatment were identified by paediatricians who used virtual care. This survey reveals that virtual care may be an important factor in missed cases of child maltreatment and may present challenges to timely identification.